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LIBRARY 

OF  THK 

University  of  California. 

b(/J\  J^x^ ^  Qa^y^. 

Received       ^iJnyC. ,  f^g^. 

Accession  No.  J  VS  V  J       •    Cla^s  No.     ; 


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REGULATIONS 

FOR    THE 

OPERATION   AND   MAINTENANCE 

OF 

UNITED  STATES 

Military  Telegraph  Lines 

AND 

GENERAL  REGULATIONS 

OF    THE 

SIGNAL   CORPS,   UNITED   STATES  ARMY, 

WITH 


WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT   PRINTING  OFFICE. 


REGULATIONS 

FOR    THE 

OPERATION   AND   MAINTENANCE 

OF 

UNITED  STATES 

Military  Telegraph  Lines 

AND 

GENERAL  REGULATIONS 

OF   THE 

SIGNAL   CORPS,  UNITED   STATES   ARMY, 

WITH 

AF»F»ENDIX. 


U.  S,     -T^-naJ.    Crf-Pl 


WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE. 

1899. 


WAR  DEPARTMENT. 

Document  No.  104. 
Office  of  the  Chief  Signal  Officer. 

7757/ 


Signal  Office, 

War  Department, 
Washington  City,  July  1,  1899. 

The  following  regulations  for  the  operation  and  main- 
tenance of  United  States  military  telegraph  lines  are 
furnished  for  the  guidance  of  all  concerned.  They  will 
replace  all  former  instructions  relating  to  the  operation 
of  military  telegraph  lines. 

Immediately  upon  receipt  of  these  instructions,  offi- 
cers in  charge  and  operators  will  make  themselves 
familiar  therewith. 

A.  W.  GREELY, 

Chief  Signal  Officer. 


(3) 


Regulations  for  the  Operation  and  Maintenance  of 
U.  S.  Military  Telegrapli  Lines  and  General  Regu- 
lations of  the  Signal  Corps,  U.  S.  Army. 


1.  The  act  of  Congress  approved  October  1,  1890, 
section  2,  directs  that  the  Chief  Signal  Officer  shall 
have  charge,  under  direction  of  the  Secretary  of  War, 
of  *  *  *  "  the  construction,  repair,  and  operation  of 
military  telegraph  lines,"  *  *  *  "and  the  duty  of 
collecting  and  transmitting  information  for  the  Army 
by  telegraph  or  otherwise. " 

2.  These  lines,  owned  by  the  United  States,  are  only 
subject  to  the  laws  of  the  General  Government,  being 
built  for  the  better  protection  of  immigration  and  fron- 
tier settlements  from  depredations,  and  especially  for 
maintaining  quick  and  sure  means  of  communication 
for  military  purposes.  No  use  will  be  permitted  of 
these  lines  that  would  defeat  the  object  of  their  con- 
struction. The  operators  on  these  lines  are  enlisted  men 
of  the  Signal  Corps  or  civil  employees  who  have  accepted 
military  discipline.  They  will  not  fail  to  show  to  mili- 
tary superiors  the  proper  respect  and  courtesy  required 
by  Army  Regulations ;  they  will  give  commanding  offi- 
cers cordial  cooperation  in  transmitting  dispatches  and 
in  rendering  every  possible  assistance  in  promoting 
military  operations,  and,  in  all  cases,  will  treat  the 
demands  of  their  military  superiors  with  the  greatest 
respect. 

3.  With  the  view  of  rendering  the  most  efficient  serv- 
ice to  scouting  parties  and  other  troops  serving  in  cam- 
paigns or  maneuvers,  enlisted  men  of  the  Signal  Corps 
will  at  all  times  be  ready  to  take  the  field  when  so 

(6) 


6  OPERATION   AND    MAINTENANCE  OF 

ordered  by  their  commanding  officer.  For  this  purpose, 
they  must  always  be  properly  equipped  for  cutting  in 
and  opening  a  field  station  on  telegraph  lines  between 
regular  offices.  Such  equipment  should  include  a  pair 
of  climbers,  a  block  and  tackle,  a  pocket  relay,  or  extra 
relay  or  box  sounder,  small  pieces  of  office  wire  for  con- 
necting the  lines  to  the  instrument,  a  hatchet,  pliers,  a 
few  nails,  and  blanks,  pencils,  writing  pads,  etc. ,  which 
will  be  kept  conveniently  packed  for  transportation. 

Enlisted  men  of  the  Signal  Corps  will  inform  them- 
selves as  far  as  possible  as  to  geography  of  the  country 
near  their  stations,  as  opportunity  may  occur  for  ren- 
dering important  service  to  commands  in  the  field  by 
carrying  information  from  such  commands  to  the  near- 
est telegraph  line  and  transmitting  it  by  wire. 

GENERAL  RULES. 

4.  To  secure  the  greatest  measure  of  usefulness  and 
efficiency  of  these  lines  for  military  purposes,  the  fol- 
lowing rules  will  be  strictly  observed:  Enlisted  men 
and  employees  in  charge  of  stations  (not  at  military 
posts  and  where  there  are  no  troops)  are  hereby  directed 
to  promptly  communicate  to  commanding  officers  of 
posts  or  cantonments  nearest  to,  and  on  each  side  of, 
their  stations  any  information  ^oming  to  their  knowl- 
edge regarding  the  enemy,  and  to  transmit  to  them  all 
reports  brought  to  a  station  by  scouts,  or  other  persons, 
respecting  outbreaks,  raids,  depredations  or  movements 
of  the  enemy. 

To  enable  commanding  officers  to  determine  the  degree 
of  importance  to  attach  to  such  reports,  operators  will 
state  with  the  utmost  particularity  how  the  informa- 
tion thus  communicated  was  obtained,  the  nature  and 
extent  of  the  depredations,  and  the  place  where  com- 
mitted ;  whether  the  depredations  were  by  Indians  or 
other  parties,  and,  if  Indians,  the  band  or  tribe  to  which 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  7 

they  belong,  the  number  in  the  party,  and  the  direction 
whence  they  came  and  toward  which  they  traveled. 

To  be  of  value  in  military  operations  it  is  indispensa- 
ble that  information  of  this  character  should  be  com- 
municated with  the  least  possible  delay,  and  to  this  end 
any  operator  transmitting  important  military  dispatches 
from  official  sources,  or  on  his  own  motion,  will,  in  call- 
ing the  desired  office,  use  the  signal  "  9, "  which  signal 
will  be  understood  as  commanding  immediate  suspen- 
sion of  all  other  business  until  the  dispatches  in  hand 
have  been  transmitted. 

The  operator  sending,  under  this  signal,  military  dis- 
patches, as  also  all  operators  receiving  them,  will  consider 
themselves  as  constantly  on  duty  and  remain  within 
sound  of  their  instruments  until  the  emergency  neces- 
sitating its  use  has  passed,  and  of  the  termination  of 
such  emergency  the  military  commander  present  on  the 
line  will  be  the  judge.  When  any  operator  thus  on 
duty  shall  have  been  notified  that  his  attendance  is  no 
longer  required,  he  will  promptly  inform  all  the  others  of 
the  fact,  but  such  notification  must  not  be  taken  as  ex- 
cusing any  of  them  from  attendance  during  the  pre- 
scribed office  hours  without  permission  from  the  proper 
authority. 

The  foregoing  instructions  are  intended  mainly  for 
the  guidance  of  operators  on  duty  at  telegraph  stations 
away  from  military  posts,  but  will  not  be  understood 
as  authorizing  any  operators  to  communicate  to  mili- 
tary commanders  any  information  which  may  come  to 
them,  or  which  they  may  hear  passing  over  the  wires, 
or  from  rumors  respecting  Indian  operations  or  move- 
ments of  troops  which  may  be  current  at  a  military 
post.  In  such  cases  it  will  be  assumed  that  com- 
manding officers  will  themselves  communicate  such  in- 
formation to  other  military  commanders  should  they 
deem  it  proper  or  necessary  to  do  so. 


8  OPERATION  AND   MAINTENANCE  OF 

5.  All  business  of  the  War  Department,  its  officers 
and  agents,  and  telegrams  authorized  by  competent  au- 
thority, and  all  "official  messages"  of  the  several  depart- 
ments of  the  Government,  will  pass  free  over  United 
States  military  telegraph  lines.  The  official  character 
of  messages  so  transmitted  will  be  verified  by  the  addi- 
tion of  the  words  "official  business"  by  the  sender. 

6.  Conditions  under  which  private  telegrams  will  be 
transmitted  when  special  caution  is  requested  by  com- 
manding officers:  Private  dispatches  may  be  trans- 
mitted over  the  United  States  lines  only  when  of  a 
lawful  nature,  and  when  the  lines  are  not  needed  for 
public  use.  Private  telegrams  presented  for  transmis- 
sion which  relate  to  the  movement  of  troops  shall  in  all 
cases  be  refused,  unless  authorized  by  the  signature  of 
a  commanding  officer.  Whenever  special  caution  is 
directed  by  commanding  officers,  operators  will  exercise 
a  special  scrutiny  in  order  that  no  dispatches  from  pri- 
vate sources  giving  information  of  military  movements, 
or  that  appear  of  questionable  nature,  may  be  sent.  At 
such  times  messages  in  cipher  or  messages  that  seem 
preconcerted,  unless  exhibiting  the  signature  of  proper 
military  authority,  will  be  submitted  to  the  command- 
ing officer  for  authority  to  transmit.  At  such  times  any 
person  presenting  a  dispatch  at  any  military  telegraph 
office  at  a  post  to  be  telegraphed  therefrom,  relating  to 
a  matter  concerning  which  the  commanding  officer  has 
directed  special  caution  to  be  exercised  to  prevent  an 
improper  use  of  the  lines,  will  be  informed  by  the  oper- 
ator (without  offering  any  explanation)  that  his  dis- 
patch can  not  be  forwarded  to  destination  until  it  is 
examined  by  the  commanding  officer  and  his  orders 
thereon  received.  Should  the  sender  decline  to  submit 
the  dispatch  for  such  examination,  it  will  be  refused 
transmission  and  returned.     It  will  be  understood  that 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  9 

the  duty  of  examining  dispatches  of  a  questionable 
nature  devolves  upon  commanding  officers  of  posts 
alone,  and  the  exercise  of  that  duty  by  any  other  person 
is  unauthorized,  and  no  information  regarding  the  con- 
tents of  such  dispatches,  or  the  action  that  may  have 
been  taken  with  respect  to  them,  will  be  furnished  to 
any  other  person. 

At  stations  not  located  at  military  posts,  the  submis- 
sion of  messages  as  above  ordered  will  be  by  telegraph  to 
the  commanding  officer  of  the  nearest  military  post  that 
can  be  reached.  Should  the  officer  in  charge  be  present 
in  person  at  any  station  upon  the  line,  the  submission  of 
messages  will  be  by  telegraph  or  in  person  to  him. 

7.  All  telegraphic  dispatches  transmitted  over  the 
wires  will  be  regarded  as  in  the  care  and  trust  of  the 
Government,  and  will  not  be  revealed  without  proper 
authority;  enlisted  men  and  employees  are  therefore 
prohibited  from  giving  any  information  to  any  person 
concerning  any  dispatches  sent  from  or  received  at  any 
station  upon  the  military  lines,  except  as  provided  in 
the  two  following  paragraphs,  or  permitting  any  exam- 
ination to  be  made  of  the  records  or  message  files  in 
their  charge  except  by  the  commanding  officer  of  the 
post  in  which  the  station  is  located,  by  inspecting  offi- 
cers, by  persons  having  authority  from  the  Chief  Signal 
Officer  of  the  Army,  or  by  the  officer  in  charge  of  the 
line  in  person. 

8.  Information  concerning  any  military  messages 
passed  or  designed  to  pass  over  the  wires  will  in  no  case 
be  given  to  persons  not  clearly  entitled  to  receive  it,  nor 
will  operators  give  copies  of  such  messages  or  written 
statements  relating  thereto  without  proper  authority, 
except  in  cases  where  hostilities  are  in  progress  and  the 
information  is  sought  by  officers  in  command  of  detach- 
ments in  active  service  or  by  the  commanding  officer  of 
the  division,  department,  or  district  affected. 


10  OPERATION  AND   MAINTENANCE  OF 

9.  Messages  may  be  exhibited  to  the  senders  or  re- 
ceivers upon  personal  application,  or  to  a  third  person 
upon  their  written  order,  and  they  may  be  allowed  to 
make  copies  of  the  message ;  but  in  all  cases  the  sender 
or  receiver,  or  the  signature  to  the  order,  must  be  well 
known  or  fully  identified. 

10.  Officers  in  charge  of  telegraph  divisions  and  chief 
operators  will  not  permit  the  use  of  telegraph  instru- 
ments or  battery  or  line  material  for  any  purposes  other 
than  those  directly  connected  with  the  operation  and 
maintenance  of  the  lines  in  their  charge. 

11.  The  operator  in  charge  of  an  office  is  held  ac- 
countable and  is  responsible  to  the  Government  for  all 
property  and  supplies  whatsoever  in  or  belonging  to  his 
office,  for  all  money  received,  and  for  all  transactions 
involving  the  payment  of  money  in  the  regular  and 
legitimate  business  of  the  office.  No  operator  is  au- 
thorized, but,  on  the  contrary,  is  prohibited,  from  con- 
tracting any  debts  or  obligations  on  account  of  the 
Government  except  when  authorized  by  competent 
authority. 

12.  Operators  are  expected  and  required  to  prevent 
loss  and  waste  of  stationery,  office  supplies,  line  repair 
material,  fuel,  lights,  etc.,  and  to  exercise  the  same  care 
of  office  furniture  and  other  property  in  their  charge 
and  the  same  rigid  economy  in  management  as  would 
be  expected  of  a  prudent  business  man  in  conducting 
his  private  affairs. 

13.  Operators  are  prohibited  from  purchasing  sta- 
tionery and  other  ordinary  supplies,  except  when  spe- 
cially authorized.  All  such  articles  will  be  furnished 
on  proper  requisition. 

14.  All  instruments,  relays,  keys,  switches,  or  parts 
of  the  same,  and  other  property  on  hand  will  be  re- 
ported at  the  time  of  making  requisitions  for  supplies, 
stating  number,  kind,  and  quantity  of  each. 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH   LINES.  11 

15.  Transfer  of  any  article  of  Government  property 
will  not  be  made  from  one  office  to  another  without 
specific  authority  from  the  proper  officer;  nor  will 
articles  of  Government  property  be  sold  or  otherwise 
disposed  of,  except  as  provided  by  regulations  of  the 
service  and  specific  instructions  from  proper  authority. 

Public  property  and  labor  hired  for  public  use  will 
not  be  perverted  to  any  use  whatsoever  not  authorized 
by  the  regulations  of  the  service. 

16.  Chief  operators  are  intrusted  with  the  local 
supervision  and  management  of  sections.  They  have 
charge  of  the  general  discipline  of  the  line,  and  will  see 
that  operators  and  repair  men  conform  to  the  estab- 
lished rules  regarding  office  hours,  meal  times,  and 
other  routine  matters.  They  will  take  special  pains  to 
maintain  their  sections  in  efficient  operation  and  repair, 
direct  the  removal  of  all  faults,  and  correct  all  irregu- 
larities coming  under  their  observation. 

17.  Each  chief  operator  will  keep  a  telegraph  jour- 
nal, in  which  will  be  entered  all  information  of  value 
concerning  the  condition  and  operation  of  the  entire 
section  under  his  charge.  He  will  make  careful  tests 
of  the  line  every  morning  and  evening  at  convenient 
hours,  during  which  an  operator  will  be  required  at  the 
key  in  every  office.  The  word  ' '  test "  will  be  recognized 
as  giving  the  right  of  circuit  at  all  times  for  testing 
purposes. 

18.  Faults  will  be  located  and  orders  given  immedi- 
ately to  repairmen  to  enable  them  to  make  the  necessary 
repairs  at  the  earliest  hour  possible.  The  result  of  the 
tests,  including  a  statement  of  faults  discovered  and 
action  taken  to  remove  them,  will  be  entered  in  the 
journal.  If  faults  come  in  during  the  day,  the  chief 
operator  will  locate  them  and  order  them  removed  with 
the  least  possible  delay 


13  OPERATION   AND    MAINTENANCE   OF 

In  making  entries  the  time  of  tests,  interruptions, 
removal  of  faults,  etc. ,  will  always  be  stated ;  also  all 
other  information  that  may  be  of  value  for  future  refer- 
ence. All  changes  in  the  working  force  of  stations  will 
be  noted  under  the  corresponding  dates,  and  it  is  made 
the  particular  duty  of  chief  operators  to  note  in  the 
journal  any  marked  inattention  to  duty  by  any  operator 
or  repairman.  Entries  will  be  as  brief  as  possible,  but 
they  must  be  explicit.  Only  a  few  lines  will  ordinarily 
be  needed  for  each  day. 

Offices  will  be  referred  to  by  their  full  names  and  not 
by  their  calls.  A  list  of  civilian  employees,  with  salary 
of  each,  will  follow  the  entry  for  the  last  day  of  the 
month.  A  copy  of  each  month's  record  will  be  for- 
warded to  the  Chief  Signal  Officer,  or  to  the  officer  in 
charge,  as  the  case  may  be,  not  later  than  the  5th  day 
of  the  succeeding  month, 

19.  Chief  operators  are  expected  to  offer,  from  time 
to  time,  as  occasion  occurs,  such  recommendations  as  to 
general  repairs,  changes  of  men,  and  other  matters  as 
will,  in  their  opinion,  increase  the  efficiency  of  the 
service,  and  while  lack  of  money  or  other  considerations 
may  at  times  prevent  this  office  from  carrying  such  rec- 
ommendations into  effect,  they  are  still  desired  as  a 
matter  of  information  and  for  future  action. 

20.  Chief  operators  will  keep  themselves  familiar 
with  the  condition  and  needs  of  the  whole  section  under 
their  charge,  in  order  to  intelligently  discharge  their 
duties.  They  will  report  at  once  to  the  officer  in  charge 
all  matters  affecting  the  discipline  or  efficiency  of  the 
section,  and  if  the  circumstances  are  urgent  pnd  will 
warrant  it  they  will  make  report  by  telegraph. 

21.  The  operator  in  charge  of  an  office  where  the  main 
batteries  are  located  will  be  held  strictly  responsible  for 
the  good  condition  of  these  batteries  at  all  times.     They 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH   LINES.  13 

will  never  be  wholly  taken  down,  but  will  be  cleaned 
and  renewed  by  sections.  The  cleaning  and  renewing 
of  batteries  will  always  be  timed  so  as  not  to  interrupt 
communication  or  in  any  way  interfere  with  the  effi- 
ciency of  the  lines.  Chief  operators  will  see  that  this 
paragraph  is  strictly  complied  with,  and  to  that  end 
will  give  fully  the  necessary  instructions. 

22.  The  operator  in  charge  will  personally  examine 
the  batteries  in  use  each  Saturday,  and  cause  the  cells 
to  be  carefully  wiped  off  with  a  moist  cloth.  Should 
any  cell  be  found  to  leak  or  to  be  otherwise  defective, 
it  will  be  at  once  removed  and  repaired  or  replaced  with 
a  new  one. 

The  binding  screws  and  the  ends  of  the  small  connect- 
ing wires  in  batteries  will  be  kept  scrupulously  clean, 
to  insure  good  connections,  and  the  cells  kept  at  least 
1  inch  apart,  to  prevent  contact.  The  cells  should  rest 
on  a  painted,  dry,  wooden  base  to  insulate  them  from 
each  other  and  from  the  earth,  and  care  be  taken  to 
prevent  any  escape  of  liquid  by  which  a  connection 
might  be  formed  between  the  jars. 

23.  No  battery  should  be  permitted  to  freeze,  for 
while  frozen  the  current  is  very  much  impaired  or 
altogether  suspended.  Heat  being  a  promoter  of  chem- 
ical action,  a  battery  while  warm  works  most  vigorously. 

In  a  very  warm  climate  it  should  be  kept  in  a  cool 
place  to  reduce  evaporation  and  unnecessary  waste  of 
material. 

Fresh  water  will  be  added  as  often  as  necessary  to 
keep  the  zincs  completely  immersed  at  all  times,  and 
blue  vitriol  should  be  dropped  in  the  jar  as  it  is  con- 
sumed, care  being  taken  that  it  goes  to  the  bottom.  The 
blue  color  will  be  kept  as  high  as  the  top  of  the  copper, 
but  must  never  reach  the  zinc.  When  the  quantity  of 
sulphate  of  zinc  in  solution  becomes  too  great  a  portion 


14  OPERATION  AND   MAINTENANCE  OF 

of  the  top  of  the  liquid  will  be  drawn  with  a  syringe 
and  replaced  with  clear  water.  A  hydrometer  is  con- 
venient to  test  the  strength  of  this  solution.  When  the 
specific  gravity  is  less  than  15  degrees  there  is  too  little 
sulphate  of  zinc ;  when  it  is  30  degrees  or  over  there  is 
too  much  in  solution,  and  it  will  be  diluted.  When  the 
zincs  become  coated  so  as  to  interfere  with  the  action 
of  the  battery  they  will  be  taken  out,  scraped  clean,  and 
washed. 

A  zinc  should  last  about  two  months.  A  main-line 
battery  should  not  consume  more  than  1^  pounds  of 
sulphate  of  copper  per  month  per  cell,  and  a  local  not 
more  than  2  pounds  per  month. 

24.  Officers  in  charge  of  military  telegraph  lines  will 
account  for  all  property  at  their  stations  and  for  all  sec- 
tions of  line  (in  miles)  radiating  therefrom.  They  will 
designate  the  several  repair  sections  on  the  lines  under 
their  charge,  and  the  enlisted  men  or  civilian  operators 
in  charge  of  such  repair  sections  will  account  for  all 
property  at  their  stations  and  the  line  (in  miles)  on  their 
sections. 

25.  Ordinary  repairs  will  be  made  at  once,  as  required, 
or  as  directed  by  the  chief  operator,  and  a  statement  of 
the  cost  of  each  trip  will  be  forwarded  on  Form  No.  131 
at  the  end  of  the  trip. 

General  repairs  will  not  be  made  without  special 
authority.  Ordinary  repairs  include  such  light  repairs 
as  can  be  made  without  expense  or  inexpensively  with 
material  on  hand,  and  quickly.  Under  this  designation 
come  the  trips  by  repairmen  or  details  to  restore  com- 
munication when  the  line  has  been  broken  or  grounded 
from  common  causes,  or  to  remove  such  faults  as  might 
endanger  the  efficient  working  of  the  line.  The  ex- 
penses involved  are  usually  confined  to  the  hire  of  means 
of  transportation  necessary  in  transporting  men  or  ma- 
terial; and  steps  will  be  taken  by  each  officer  in  charge. 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH   LINES.  15 

not  later  than  February  1st,  yearly,  to  cause  bids  to  be 
invited  on  thirty  days'  notice  to  cover  the  service  for  the 
fiscal  year  next  ensuing,  for  the  furnishing  of  such 
means  of  transportation  as  will  be  required.  These  bids, 
prepared  as  required  by  regulations,  will  be  forwarded 
with  the  recommendations  of  the  officer  in  charge  to 
this  office  upon  April  1  of  each  year.  General  repairs 
include  those  that  require  the  furnishing  of  new  poles 
and  other  material,  the  employment  of  extra  labor  for 
other  purposes  than  restoring  communication,  and  for 
such  other  exceptional  and  extensive  repairs  as  will 
involve  a  considerable  outlay  of  money.  To  this  class 
belongs  the  repair  of  submarine  cables.  Whenever, 
from  the  breaking  of  a  cable  or  other  accident  causing 
entire  interruption  of  communication,  extensive  repairs 
become  necessary,  informal  bids  will  be  obtained,  if 
necessary,  on  short  notice  of  twenty-four  hours  from  as 
many  persons  as  possible.  The  bids  will  be  opened,  and 
the  amount  of  bid  of  the  lowest  responsible  bidder  tele- 
graphed to  this  office  or  to  the  officer  in  charge  together 
with  the  open  market  cost,  with  recommendations. 

26.  In  rendering  Form  No.  129  (monthly  labor  and 
material  report)  operators  and  repairmen  in  charge  of 
stations  will  include  under  the  head  of  "General  re- 
marks" a  brief  statement  of  the  condition  of  their 
repair  sections,  stating  what  material,  if  any,  is  required, 
in  addition  to  what  is  on  hand,  to  keep  the  line  in  good 
repair,  and  whether  ordinary  repairs  will  be  sufficient 
to  maintain  it  during  the  current  fiscal  year.  If  gen- 
eral repairs  are  necessary,  operators  will  state  exactly 
what  is  needed  and  give  estimates  of  cost.  This  report 
will  be  made  every  month,  so  that  this  office  may  be 
kept  fully  informed  of  the  condition  and  needs  of  each 
section. 


16  OPERATION  AND   MAINTENANCE  OF 

OPERATING  DEPARTMENT. 

27.  For  each  office  on  a  line  there  is  required  a  relay, 
sounder,  key,  and  plug  switch  with  cut-out,  ground 
switch,  and  lightning  arrester  combined.  Offices  in 
which  more  circuits  than  one  terminate  will  be  equipped 
with  automatic  repeaters,  in  order  that  the  whole  line 
may  be  worked  as  one  or  disconnected  and  used  in  sep- 
arate parts. 

28.  At  the  termini  of  lines  or  circuits  good  ground 
connections  are  absolutely  necessary,  and  may  be  pre- 
pared by  burying,  in  a  perpendicular  position,  a  copper 
plate  2  or  3  feet  square  in  moist  earth  beneath  the  reach 
of  frost,  or  utilizing  gas  or  water  pipes  to  which  a  stout 
copper  wire  is  securely  soldered.  At  way  offices  a  suffi- 
ciently good  ground  wire  may  be  made  by  burying  the 
end  of  a  stout  copper  wire  3  or  4  feet  deep  into  moist 
earth. 

29.  The  ground  wires  at  intermediate  offices  will 
only  be  used  in  the  event  of  the  wire  being  open,  and 
then  only  to  notify  the  chief  operator  concerning  the 
interruption  and  receive  his  instructions.  Chief  oper- 
ators will  cause  the  ground  wire  to  be  tried  at  frequent 
intervals  during  business  hours,  at  the  station  nearest 
the  break,  to  enable  other  offices  to  clear  their  business, 
taking  care  on  the  completion  of  which  that  it  is  at 
once  removed. 

30.  The  ground  wire  will  never  be  used  as  a  protec- 
tion against  lightning.  During  heavy  storms  the  main 
wires  should  be  securely  cut  off  from  the  instruments. 

31.  The  lightning  arresters  will  be  kept  clean  and 
free  from  dirt  or  moisture,  and  will  invariably  be  taken 
apart  and  examined  after  a  thunderstorm. 

32.  When  leaving  the  office  temporarily,  or  for  the 
night,  the  maip  line  will  be  cut  off  from  the  instrument. 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  17 

This,  however,  will  never  be  done  without  examining 
the  switch  or  cut-off,  to  be  sure  that  the  circuit  is  com- 
plete through  it. 

33.  No  persons  not  directly  connected  with  the  oper- 
ating department  will  be  allowed  access  to  the  tele- 
graph instruments  and  office  files.  Strict  privacy  of  all 
messages  vsdll  be  observed. 

34.  Operators  and  other  employees  will  conform  to 
such  rules  respecting  working  hours,  meal  times,  etc. , 
as  may  be  established  by  competent  authority. 

35.  At  offices  where  more  than  one  operator  is  em- 
ployed, meal  hours  will  be  so  arranged  as  to  have  at 
least  one-half  the  force  on  hand  during  meal  time. 

36.  Unless  prevented  by  reason  of  the  wires  not  work- 
ing, all  messages  received  during  the  prescribed  office 
hours  will  be  cleared  before  the  close  of  business  each 
day, 

37.  Whenever  it  becomes  necessary  to  temporarily 
close  the  office  during  regular  hours  on  account  of  offi- 
cial business,  such  as  repair  duty,  delivery  of  messages, 
et-c.,  a  notice  will  be  posted  on  the  office  door,  stating 
that  the  operator  is  absent  on  official  business,  and  giv- 
ing the  probable  time  of  his  return. 

38.  On  Sundays  and  legal  holidays  officers  in  charge 
will  reduce  the  regular  hours  of  duty,  when  such  reduc- 
tion will  not  be  a  detriment  to  the  public  service. 
These  hours  should  be  the  same  as  those  of  connecting 
lines  on  such  days. 

39.  Contention  for  circuit  is  prohibited.  No  operator 
will  refuse  to  receive  any  message  offered  by  an  oper- 
ator at  another  office.  Should  there  be  any  doubt  as  to 
the  propriety  of  the  message,  it  will  be  received  and  the 
facts  reported  by  mail  to  the  officer  in  charge. 

40.  Official  messages  of  the  War  Department  for 
transmission  should  be  written  on  form  furnished  by 

2218 — 2 


18  OPERATION  AND    MAINTENANCE   OI' 

the  Quartermaster's  Department,  or  Form  No.  124 ;  sig- 
nal, private,  and  other  messages  will  also  be  written  on 
this  latter  form.  Messages  not  so  written  will  be  at- 
tached by  the  sender  or  the  operator  to  the  above  form 
so  as  to  leave  the  printed  heading  in  full  view  above  the 
message.     (A.  R.,  1214.) 

41.  The  printed  blanks  (Forms  124  and  125)  will  be 
used  only  for  the  purpose  for  which  they  are  especially 
designed,  and  under  no  circumstances  wijl  the  receiving 
sheet  (Form  No.  125)  be  given  out  to  persons  not  entitled 
to  them. 

42.  Commercial  and  private  messages,  when  filed  for 
transmission  at  any  office  on  the  United  States  military 
telegraph  lines  and  addressed  to  any  other  office  on  these 
lines  with  which  there  is  direct  communication,  will  be 
forwarded  promptly  and  in  the  order  in  which  they  are 
filed. 

43.  Messages  that  necessarily  pass  over  the  lines  of  a 
telegraph  company  whose  wires  connect  with  the  mili- 
tary telegraph  lines  will  be  promptly  transferred  to  the 
agent  of  such  company  at  the  nearest  transfer  office  to 
that  at  which  the  message  originated. 

44.  When  there  are  two  or  more  connecting  lines,  and 
the  person  filing  a  message  expresses  in  writing  a  pref- 
erence for  any  one  of  them,  it  will  be  sent  as  requested, 
provided  the  line  is  working  at  the  time.  If  it  is  not 
working,  the  message  will  be  transferred  to  the  first 
available  line. 

45.  Where  two  or  more  lines  are  available  at  any 
point  of  transfer,  and  no  preference  has  been  expressed 
by  the  sender  of  a  message,  it  will  be  sent  by  the  one 
which  makes  the  total  cost  of  transmission  the  cheapest. 

46.  Where  there  is  no  difference  in  cost,  and  more 
than  one  line  is  available  at  any  point  of  transfer,  mes- 
sages originating  at  offices  on  the  military  telegraph 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  19 

lines,  whose  route  has  not  been  indicated  by  senders, 
will  be  divided  as  equally  as  practicable  between  the 
several  lines. 

47.  The  date  and  time  at  which  a  message  is  received 
for  transmission  will,  in  all  cases,  be  plainly  written  by 
the  receiver  upon  the  margin  of  the  message. 

48.  All  messages  presented  for  transmission  will  first 
be  carefully  read  and  every  letter  clearly  understood  by 
the  receiver.  The  address  will  be  examined,  and  if  not 
deemed  sufficient,  a  more  complete  one  requested,  and 
anything  likely  to  be  misunderstood  or  liable  to  occa- 
sion error  in  transmission  will  be  made  perfectly  plain 
before  being  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  operator  for 
transmission, 

49.  The  address  of  the  sender  of  a  message,  unless  it 
be  well  known,  will  be  requested  and  recorded. 

50.  An  operator,  when  calling  an  office,  will  sign  his 
own  office  call  at  short  intervals,  and  will  also  sign  it  in 
answering  calls.     All  calls  will  be  answered  promptly. 

51.  Before  opening  the  key,  adjust  the  relay  carefully, 
particularly  in  wet  weather,  to  make  sure  that  some 
other  office  is  not  using  the  line. 

52.  Each  operator  will  have  a  personal  signal,  which, 
once  adopted,  will  not  be  changed  while  on  duty  in  the 
same  division.  This  signal  will  be  given  with  the  sta- 
tion call  after  "O.  K."to  all  telegrams  received. 

The  following  special  signals  are  authorized : 

1 Wait  a  moment. 

4 Start  me.  , 

5 Have  you  anything  for  me? 

7 Are  you  ready? 

9 (Important  military  message)  give  way. 

13 Do  you  understand? 

18 What  is  the  matter? 

25 Busy  on  other  wires. 


20  OPERATION  AND    MAINTENANCE  OP 

27 Adjust  your  magnet. 

30 Circuit  closed. 

44 Answer  quick. 

73 Accept  compliments. 

92 Deliver  (ed). 

Operators  will  in  all  cases  give  way  for  signal  No.  9. 
The  following  abbreviations  are  authorized : 

Ahr Another. 

Ans Answer. 

Ck....  Check. 
Col.- -.Collect. 

D.H Deadhead. 

G.A Go  ahead. 

G.  E Good  evening. 

G.  M Good  morning. 

G.  N--- -Good  night. 

G.  R Government  rate. 

N.  M No  more. 

O.  B Official  business. 

O.K.— All  right. 

Opr Operator. 

Pd--.-Paid. 

Qk Quick. 

Sig Signature. 

Wo Who  is  at  the  key? 

To  acknowledge  a  call,  signal  "I"  twice,  followed  by 
call  letter  of  acknowledging  station. 

To  break  or  stop  the  signal  from  the  sending  station, 
open  the  key. 

To  start  the  sending  station  after  breaking,  signal 
"G.A."  followed  by  the  last  word  correctly  received; 
the  sender  will  resume  his  message,  beginning  with  the 
word  indicated.  If  nothing  has  been  received,  signal 
"R.  R. ;"  the  sender  will  then  repeat  all. 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  21' 

In  event  of  an  error  in  sending,  signal  an  interroga- 
tion point  (— . .  — . ) »  and  resume  the  message,  beginning 
with  the  last  word  correctly  sent. 

For  "Signature  follows,"  signal  "Sig." 

To  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  a  message,  signal 
"O.  K."  followed  by  the  personal  signal  or  initial  of 
receiver. 

53.  All  messages  will  be  transmitted  as  they  are  re- 
ceived. No  abbreviations  will  be  used,  except  in  office 
communications,  "When  periods  or  other  punctuation 
marks  are  used,  care  will  be  taken  to  transmit  them 
precisely  as  contained  in  the  original.  A  period  after 
the  address,  dividing  the  same  from  the  body  of  the 
message,  will  always  be  inserted.  When  obscure  or 
difficult  words  appear  in  messages,  the  transmission 
will  be  slow  and  distinct,  and  if  an  error  is  likely  to 
occur,  the  obscure  sentence  or  difficult  word  will  be 
rex)eated. 

54.  No  message  will  be  telegraphed  from  dictation, 
or  otherwise  than  from  legible  copy ;  which  copy  will 
be  filed  for  future  reference,  except  where  otherwise 
provided. 

55.  Messages  containing  profane  or  obscene  language 
will  not  be  received  for  transmission. 

56.  The  sending  operator  will  regulate  the  transmis- 
sion of  a  message  to  suit  the  ability  of  the  receiving 
operator. 

57.  Operators  will  use  extra  caution  in  the  transmis- 
sion of  proper  names.  The  names  will  be  written 
slowly,  and  double  the  usual  space  made  between  the 
initials. 

58.  The  receiving  operator  will  be  held  responsible 
for  errors  in  messages  received.  This  rule  imposes  upon 
the  receiving  operator  extreme  caution,  and  in  all  cases 
of  doubt  he  must  use  all  means  in  his  power  to  re- 
move it. 


23  OPERATION  AND    MAINTENANCE  OF 

59.  Operators  will  never  guess  at  a  word ;  better  have 
it  repeated  many  times  than  make  a  mistake. 

60.  If  the  sender  of  a  message  desires  to  know 
whether  it  has  been  delivered  to  his  correspondent,  the 
desired  inf  ormatian  may  be  telegraphed  direct  to  him 
by  the  office  to  which  the  message  is  transmitted.  In 
such  cases  the  words  "  Report  delivery  "  will  be  inserted 
in  the  check,  and  counted  and  charged  for.  The  deliv- 
ering office  will  then  telegraph  the  necessary  informa- 
tion promptly,  checking  his  message  "Collect."  The 
cost  of  a  ten  word  message  will  be  collected  at  the  time 
of  sending  the  original  message. 

61.  The  sending  operator  will  write  upon  each  mes- 
sage sent  the  number  of  the  message,  the  signal  of  the 
office  to  which  sent,  the  time  of  sending ;  also  his  own 
and  the  receiving  operator's  private  signals. 

62.  Whenever  a  message  has  been  received  in  which 
an  error  is  supposed  to  have  occurred  in  the  transmis- 
sion, the  number  of  words  not  corresponding  with  the 
check,  or  otherwise,  the  operator  may,  at  his  discretion, 
cause  the  message  to  be  delivered  to  the  party  addressed, 
with  a  notation  thereon,  stating  that  the  message  is 
thus  delivered,  subject  to  correction  afterward.  In 
such  cases  a  copy  of  the  message  will  be  retained,  and 
the  utmost  dispatch  used  in  securing  correction.  When 
the  delay  is  only  temporary  and  not  affecting  the  value 
of  the  message,  it  will  not  be  delivered  until  corrected. 

63.  If  to  correct  an  error  in  a  message,  or  for  any 
other  reason,  a  second  transmission  becomes  necessary, 
the  sending  operator  will  begin  a  second  transmission 
with  the  word  ' '  Duplicate. "  Great  care  will  be  taken 
to  avoid  the  duplication  of  a  message.  In  all  cases  of 
the  delivery  of  the  duplicate  copy  of  the  message,  the 
word  "Duplicate"  will  be  distinctly  written  across  the 
face. 


U.  S.  MILITARY   TELEGRAPH   LINES.  23 

64.  Military  and  other  ofi&cial  messages  will  have 
precedence  over  all  others  on  Government  lines. 

65.  Office  messages  relating  to  correction,  loss,  or  any- 
thing affecting  the  value  of  the  message,  will  have  pref- 
erence over  any  other  private  business,  and  in  no  case 
will  an  office  message  be  destroyed  or  willfully  delayed 
in  transmission.  When  office  messages  are  needlessly 
sent  or  unnecessarily  worded,  the  same  will  be  reported 
to  the  officer  in  charge. 

66.  The  official  correspondence  over  the  wires  between 
operators  and  other  employees  of  the  lines  will  be  lim- 
ited to  matters  of  an  urgent  nature  that  will  not  bear 
the  delay  of  the  mails.  Use  the  mails  for  all  matters 
that  will  not  suffer  by  the  delay.  Telegrams  should  be 
as  concise  as  possible.     (A.  R.,  1206.) 

67.  The  transmission  of  messages  will  include  the 
number  of  the  message  and  the  day  of  the  month.  The 
time  of  the  receipts  will  be  noted  by  the  receiving  oper- 
ator. The  name  of  the  place  from  which  the  message 
originates,  and  its  destination,  will  be  written  out  in 
full,  whether  passing  through  a  repeating  office  or  not. 
The  name  of  the  State  will  accompany  the  name  of 
place  in  address  in  all  cases,  except  the  names  of  the 
leading  commercial  cities  in  the  United  States,  such  as 
New  York,  Philadelphia,  Boston,  Cincinnati,  Chicago, 
St.  Louis,  San  Francisco,  etc. 

68.  Extraordinary  care  will  be  exercised  in  sending 
and  receiving  repeated  messages.  The  original  mes- 
sage should  be  plainly  written,  and  the  operator  send- 
ing it  will  be  certain  that  it  is  read  correctly  when 
transmitted.  The  operator  who  receives  it  will  copy  it 
plainly,  and  then  repeat  it  back  over  the  same  circuit 
before  doing  any  other  business.  At  the  office  of  origin 
and  at  each  repeating  office  an  operator,  upon  receiving 
back  a  repeated  message,  will  carefully  compare  it  with 


24  OPERATION  AND   MAINTENANCE  OF 

his  copy,  and  if  found  correct  write  the  words ' '  Repeated 
back  O.  K."  on  the  back  of  the  message,  with  his  per- 
sonal signal  and  that  of  the  operator  who  repeated  back 
the  message. 

69.  Whenever  a  "relayed  "message,  in  course  of  trans- 
mission, is  stopped  at  a  relaying  office  in  consequence 
of  the  interruption  of  a  wire  over  which  it  must  i^ass  to 
reach  its  destination,  and  the  delay  is  likely  to  be  of 
long  duration,  the  office  from  which  it  was  originally 
sent  will  be  promptly  notified  of  the  fact. 

70.  To  guard  against  the  loss  of  relayed  messages, 
and  to  locate  the  responsibility  therefor,  as  well  as  for 
errors  made  in  their  transmission,  the  originating  office 
will  note  upon  such  messages  the  time  and  date  and  the 
office  to  which  they  were  sent ;  and  every  intermediate 
office  receiving  them  for  relaying  will  keep  a  complete 
record  upon  each  message  of  the  office  from  which  re- 
ceived and  to  which  sent,  with  the  time  and  date  of 
receipt  and  forwarding.  Relayed  messages  will  be  kept 
in  a  separate  file  appropriately  labeled. 

71.  A  copy  of  each  message  to  be  delivered  will  in  all 
cases  be  retained  in  the  office.  Unless  otherwise  directed 
there  will  be  free  delivery  of  messages  within  the  limits 
of  the  town  in  which  an  office  is  located.  At  offices 
where  there  is  no  messenger,  telegrams  will  be  delivered 
by  the  operator  in  charge  or  his  assistant. 

72.  All  messages  received  for  delivery  will  be  care- 
fully read  to  ascertain  if  an  answer  is  required,  and  if 
requiring  an  answer,  diligent  effort  should  be  made  to 
obtain  it.  The  word  "Answer"  or  "Reply"  will  be 
plainly  marked  upon  the  envelope,  and  the  messenger  be 
required  either  to  obtain  the  answer  or  to  return  to  the 
office  a  sufficient  reason,  in  writing,  for  not  obtaining  it. 

If  no  answer  is  returned,  the  operator  will  make  note 
of  the  reason  therefor  and  attach  it  to  the  retained  copy 
of  the  message  for  future  reference. 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  25 

Messengers  will  in  all  cases  be  supplied  with  blanks, 
No.  124,  on  which  answers  can  be  written. 

73.  A  receipt  will  be  obtained  for  every  message  de- 
livered, which  will  be  carefully  kept  for  future  refer- 
ence, and  the  time  of  delivery  entered  thereon.  In  case 
the  person  addressed  can  not  be  found,  or  from  any 
cause  a  message  can  not  be  delivered,  the  reason,  in 
writing,  will  be  given  by  the  messenger,  and  the  facts 
investigated  by  the  operator.  The  messenger  will  in  no 
case  be  allowed  to  enter  messages  in  the  delivery  book, 
nor  to  write  the  reason  for  nondelivery  upon  the  mes- 
sage itself.     This  will  be  done  by  the  operator. 

74.  Instructions  from  the  sending  office  regarding  the 
delivery  of  a  message  will  be  carefully  followed.  If, 
however,  a  message  addressed  to  a  person  at  his  place 
of  business  is  received  after  such  place  of  business  is 
closed,  it  may  be  delivered  at  his  residence.  Reasons 
for  nondelivery  will  be  recorded  upon  the  envelope. 

75.  Whenever  an  official  or  important  message  can 
not  be  delivered,  an  office  message,  reporting  the  non- 
delivery and  the  reason  therefor  will  be  sent  to  the  office 
from  which  the  message  was  sent.  When  possible,  notice 
should  also  be  sent  through  the  post  office  to  the  person 
addressed. 

Should  the  nondelivery  be  in  consequence  of  vn-ong  or 
inadequate  address,  the  sending  office,  when  notified, 
will  compare  addresses,  and  will  correct  by  telegraph, 
any  error,  if  found.  If  no  error  appears,  notice  will  be 
given  to  the  sender  of  the  message,  who,  if  he  desires  to 
change  the  address,  must  send  a  new  message  or  pay 
for  the  service  message  necessary  to  change  the  address 
of  the  original. 

The  sender  of  an  official  message  will  always  be  noti- 
fied of  the  nondelivery  of  his  message,  and  will  be  given 
the  reason  therefor. 


36  OPERATION  AND    MAINTENANCE  OP 

76.  In  order  to  facilitate  the  delivery  of  messages  after 
business  hours,  business  men  and  others  likely  to  have 
messages  should  be  requested  to  name  in  writing  the 
place  at  which  they  wish  their  messages  delivered,  other 
than  at  their  place  of  business. 

77.  Where  prompt  answers  are  not  obtained  to  mes- 
sages it  proves,  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  to  be  the  fault 
of  the  party  to  whom  the  message  is  addressed,  and  it 
is  not  proper  that  the  line  should  thereby  be  subjected 
to  the  expense  of  oflfice  correspondence.  Therefore, 
when  the  sender  desires  any  information  relative  to 
delivery  or  answers  he  will  be  charged  ordinary  com- 
mercial rates  for  office  messages.  It  is  desirable  that 
the  senders  should  send  the  messages  of  inquiry  in  their 
own  names,  either  to  their  correspondents  or  to  the  op- 
erators in  charge. 

78.  No  operator  is  allowed  to  adjudicate  or  pay  claims 
for  damages  arising  from  the  failure  or  error  in  the 
transmission  of  a  message,  nor  to  refund  the  tolls  there- 
on. Nor  can  the  Government  recognize  claims  for  dam- 
ages, except  to  refund  the  money  paid  for  messages 
where  the  line  is  at  fault. 

79.  If  the  message  originated  at  any  point  not  on 
this  line,  the  collecting  office,  or  the  office  at  which  it 
first  reached  this  line,  as  well  as  the  office  from  which 
it  was  originally  sent,  will  be  promptly  notified  by  tele- 
graph, in  order  that  collection  may  be  made  from  ' '  other 
lines. " 

80.  Prepaid  undelivered  messages  will  be  inclosed 
separately,  having  indorsed  upon  each  the  reason  for 
nondelivery,  and  plainly  marked  "dead  messages" 
upon  the  wrapper,  with  the  name  of  the  place  from 
which  sent,  and  retained  at  the  office  for  reference, 
unless  otherwise  ordered. 

81.  Care  will  be  taken  in  preserving  and  filing  away 
messages  which  have  been  transmitted,  and  copies  of 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  27 

messages  received,  in  order  to  make  reference  thereto 
easy  and  expeditious. 

The  messages  will  be  filed  in  a  wrapper,  Form  No. 
123,  upon  which  the  following  data  will  be  given : 

(1)  Name  of  office;  (2)  Date;  (3)  Number  of  com- 
mercial messages  sent  paid ;  (4)  Number  of  commercial 
messages  received  paid;  (5)  Number  of  commercial 
messages  sent  collect ;  (6)  Number  of  commercial  mes- 
sages received  collect;  (7)  Number  of  free  and  commer- 
cial messages  (messages  which  are  free  over  "this"  but 
carrying  " other "  line  tolls)  sent  paid;  (8)  Number  of 
free  and  commercial  messages  received  paid ;  (9)  Num- 
ber of  free  and  commercial  messages  sent  collect;  (10) 
Number  of  free  and  commercial  messages  received  col- 
lect; (11)  Number  of  free  messages  sent;  (12)  Number 
of  free  messages  received ;  (13)  Value  of  free  messages 
sent. 

At  the  close  of  the  month  each  day's  business,  plainly 
marked,  will  be  inclosed  together  and  the  same  pro- 
perly labeled.  These  packages  will  be  retained  for  six 
months. 

At  the  end  of  that  time,  unless  otherwise  ordered, 
they  will  be  sent,  with  the  monthly  reports,  to  the 
officer  in  charge  of  the  line.  They  will  not  be  de- 
stroyed without  special  permission  from  the  Chief 
Signal  Officer. 

82.  Every  message  telegraphed,  whether  free,  paid, 
or  collect,  will  be  checked  with  the  number  of  words 
it  contains,  and  '^O.B.,"  "D.  H.,"  "paid, "or  "collect," 
the  amount  will  be  stated  in  the  check ;  and  if  a  part 
of  the  tariff  is  for  *' other  lines,"  the  amount  for  "this 
line "  should  be  first  stated,  and  then  the  amount  for 
"other  lines."  In  case  of  Government  messages  the 
abbreviations  "G.  R."  (Goveniment  rate)  will  follow 
the  amount  for  "other  lines." 


28  OPERATION  AND    MAINTENANCE  OF 

83.  The  following  will  be  the  order  of  transmitting 
the  several  parts  of  a  message,  viz : 

(1)  The  number  of  the  message. 

(2)  The  office  call  and  the  operator's  personal  signal. 

(3)  The  check  of  the  message. 

(4)  The  place  from  and  the  date  of  the  message. 

(5)  The  address  of  the  message. 

(6)  The  body  and  signature  of  the  message. 

84.  The  receiving  operator  will  count  the  words, 
verify  the  check,  and  otherwise  satisfy  himself  that  the 
message  is  correct,  before  acknowledging  its  receipt, 
which  will  be  done  by  transmitting  the  signal  "  O.  K.", 
and  the  receiving  operator's  personal  signal  and  office 
call.  No  message  will  be  regarded  as  transmitted 
until  so  acknowledged ;  but  if  a  number  of  messages 
be  sent  in  succession,  the  acknowledgment  of  the  last 
may  be  regarded  as  the  acknowledgment  of  all. 

In  verifying  the  check,  should  it  not  agree,  the  re- 
ceiving operator  may  request  the  sending  operator  to 
"letter"  the  message,  which  will  be  done  by  the  send- 
ing operator  transmitting  the  first  letter  of  each  word 
in  the  message. 

85.  Telegrams  tendered  for  transmission  by  an  officer 
of  the  Army,  and  indorsed  by  him  with  the  words 
"official  business,"  will  be  treated  as  Government  mes- 
sages and  checked  "O.  B.  &  W.  D."  Telegrams  ten- 
dered by  any  other  officer  of  the  Government  and  in- 
dorsed "official  business "  will  be  treated  as  Govern- 
ment messages  and  checked  "O.  B.,"  with  the  name  of 
the  bureau  or  department  of  the  Government  to  which 
they  belong,  as  Interior,  Justice,  etc. ,  as  prescribed  in 
paragraph  101.  The  operator  receiving  such  messages 
for  transmission  will  first  satisfy  himself  that  the  per- 
son signing  the  message  is  an  officer  or  agent  of  the 
Government,  and  if  there  appears  to  be  doubt  of  the 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH   LINES.  29 

official  character  of  the  message  he  will  require  a 
deposit  from  the  sender  of  the  full  commercial  tariff 
on  the  message  as  a  guaranty  before  receiving  it. 

RULES  GOVERNING  THE  TRANSMISSION  OF  DISPATCHES  OVER 
MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES,  OR  LINES  UNDER  MILITARY 
CONTROL,  DURING  ACTIVE  MILITARY  OPERATIONS. 

86.  The  following  rules,  subject  to  modification  by- 
orders  of  the  commanding  general  of  an  army  in  the 
field,  will  be  strictly  followed  in  the  transmission  of 
dispatches  over  military  telegraph  lines,  or  lines  under 
military  control,  during  active  military  operations: 

Rule  1.  Dispatches  will  be  sent  in  the  following  order 
of  priority,  due  regard  being  had  to  the  importance  of 
messages  in  the  same  class : 

(1)  Those  relating  to  the  movement  or  administra- 
tion of  the  army  in  the  field  and  of  the  Navy. 

(2)  Other  messages  relating  to  the  Army,  to  the 
Navy,  and  to  Governmental  departments  or  bureaus 
of  the  United  States. 

(3)  Messages  of  State,  Territorial,  or  other  civil  offi- 
cials relating  to  public  business. 

(4)  Messages  between  diplomatic  agents  of  neutral 
governments. 

(5)  Press  messages. 

(6)  Miscellaneous  business,  those  relating  to  death  or 
serious  illness  having  priority. 

Rule  2.  Dispatches  containing  matter  deemed  to  be 
injurious  to  the  interests  of  the  Army  must  be  sub- 
mitted to  the  commanding  general  of  the  army  in  the 
field  for  his  orders  relative  to  their  transmission. 

Rule  3.  Officers  and  "soldiers  are  strictly  prohibited 
from  communicating,  except  to  commanding  officers  or 
under  special  authorization  from  proper  military 
authority,  infonnation  by  telegraph  relative  to  num- 
bers, movement,  or    operation    of   troops,   or  details 


30  OPERATION  AND    MAINTENANCE  OF 

regarding  fortifications,  armaments,  or  experiments 
made  in  connection  with  military  matters.  Neither 
shall  they  be  permitted  to  file  dispatches  containing 
opinions  on  military  operations  or  other  military  mat- 
ters relating  to  any  part  of  the  army  or  command  with 
which  they  are  serving. 

Rule  4.  Personal  and  press  messages  may,  under  con- 
ditions not  interfering  with  military  business,  be  trans- 
mitted free  over  field  military  telegraph  lines  that  are 
closed  to  the  general  public. 

Rule  5.  The  use  of  any  cipher  is  forbidden  except  in 
communication  to  and  from  commanding  officers  and 
their  superiors,  or  in  cases  of  civic  officers  specially 
authorized.  Personal  and  press  codes,  however,  may 
be  utilized  for  the  economical  transmission  of  dis- 
patches upon  filing  a  copy  of  the  code  with  the  central 
office,  and  under  such  other  regulations  as  may  be 
formulated  by  the  general  commanding  an  army  in  the 
field. 

Rule  6.  The  chief  signal  officer  of  an  army  operating 
in  the  field,  or  of  a  district  under  military  control,  in 
carrying  out  his  general  instructions  will  formulate 
necessary  regulations  for  the  management  and  opera- 
tions of  military  telegraph  lines  under  their  control. 
General  rules  should  be  reduced  to  writing,  be  clearly 
defined,  and  impartially  enforced. 

Rule  7.  Messages  relating  to  military  operations  will 
be  received  and  transmitted  over  the  flying  telegraph 
lines  when  filed  by  a  correspondent  in  the  field  who  is 
furnished  with  a  written  permit  to  serve  in  such 
capacity. 

Rule  8.  Press  messages,  when  filed  on  military  flying 
telegraph  lines,  will  be  transmitted  in  the  order  of  filing, 
but  no  correspondent  will  be  allowed  to  monopolize  the 
line.  When  special  circumstances  demand,  special  reg- 
ulations will  be  formulated,  subject  to  the  approval  of 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  31 

the  general  commanding  the  army  in  the  field,  to  prevent 
monopolization. 

Rule  9.  Signal  officers  should  afford  press  corre- 
spondents in  the  field  the  fullest  telegraphic  facilities 
consistent  with  the  public  interests. 

Rule  10.  Unvarying  courtesy  and  strict  impartiality, 
indispensable  qualities  for  successful  dealings  with  non- 
military  officials  or  individuals,  are  strictly  enjoined  on 
officers  and  men  of  the  Signal  Corps. 

TARIFF  RATES. 

87.  Brief  personal  messages  of  aU  officers  of  the  Army, 
and  of  persons  granted  a  "frank"  by  the  Chief  Signal 
Officer,  will  be  transmitted  free  of  charge  over  the  mili- 
tary telegraph  line.  Short  personal  messages  of  all  offi- 
cers of  the  Army  may  be  transmitted  free,  subject  to  the 
limitation  imposed  by  the  officer  in  charge  of  the  line. 
Messages  to  officers  and  holders  of  "franks"  will  be 
charged  for  at  regular  rates  except  when  sent  in  direct 
reply  to  an  officer's  or  frank  holder's  personal  message. 

88.  When  any  message  entitled  to  be  transmitted  free 
of  charge  is  to  be  sent,  the  reason  for  being  free  should 
be  stated  in  words  following  the  checks,  unless  the  same 
be  well  known.  When  this  requirement  is  not  observed, 
or  when  the  reason  for  being  sent  free  is  deemed  insuffi- 
cient, the  sending  office  will  be  held  responsible  for  the 
usual  tariff  charges  on  such  messages.  The  number  of 
words  contained  in  free  messages  will  be  transmitted 
in  the  check. 

80.  The  rates  for  Government  telegrams  over  the 
principal  commercial  lines  are  fixed  annually  by  the 
Postmaster  General,  and  will  be  published  each  year 
in  General  Orders,  or  otherwise,  for  the  information 
of  all  concerned.  All  telegrams,  public  or  private,  will 
be  credited  to  the  line.  The  value  of  every  free  mes- 
sage sent  will  be  computed  at  the  ordinary  tariff  rates, 
as  if  it  were  a  prepaid  commercial  message. 


33  OPERATION  AND   MAINTENANCE  OF 

90.  Rates  of  tariif  are  subject  to  changes  from  time 
to  time,  and,  when  in  doubt,  information  as  to  rates 
may  be  obtained  from  the  officer  in  charge  of  the  line 
or  from  the  Chief  Signal  Officer, 

91.  A  message  of  less  than  ten  words  is  rated  and 
charged  for  as  a  ten-word  message. 

92.  In  counting  the  words  in  messages  the  rules  pre- 
scribed in  paragraphs  60,  93-96,  will  be  observed. 

93.  All  words  in  official  telegrams  will  be  counted, 
including  names  and  titles  of  parties  addressed  and  sig- 
natures, excluding  only  the  name  of  the  place  from 
which  transmitted  and  the  date,  and  the  words  '  'Official 
Business,"  which  will  be  indorsed  upon  the  telegram 
by  the  sender.     (A.  R.,  1211.) 

94.  When  a  commercial  message  bears  two  or  more 
addresses,  and  delivery  is  to  be  made  to  each  address,  it 
will  be  charged  for  as  two  or  more  messages,  as  the 
case  may  be. 

In  Cuba,  Porto  Rico,  Hawaii,  and  Philippine  Islands. 

95.  Words  will  be  counted  and  messages  checked  for 
military  lines  in  Cuba,  Porto  Rico,  Hawaii,  and  Philip- 
pine Islands  by  the  following  rules : 

Rule  1.  Every  address  must  contain  at  least  two 
words,  and  must  be  sufficient  to  secure  delivery.  The 
sender  is  held  responsible  for  insufficiency  of  address, 
and  instructions  necessary  to  secure  the  delivery  of  mes- 
sages reported  undelivered  from  that  cause  will  not  be 
accepted  unless  paid  for  by  the  sender. 

Rule  2.  All  that  the  sender  of  a  message  writes  for 
transmission  to  his  correspondent  is  counted  and 
charged  for. 

Rule  3.  Messages  may  be  written  in  any  language  that 
can  be  expressed  in  Roman  letters.  They  may  be  in 
plain  or  secret  language.      Secret  language  may  be 


U.  S.  MILITARY   TELEGRAPH   LINES.  33 

subdivided,  if  desired,  into  code  or  cipher  language, 
and  plain  or  cipher  words  may  be  employed  alone  or 
conjointly  in  the  same  message. 

Rule  4.  Plain  language  is  composed  of  words  forming 
intelligible  phrases,  in  one  or  more  of  the  languages  au- 
thorized for  international  telegraphic  correspondence. 

Rule  5.  Code  language  is  composed  of  words  not  form- 
ing intelligible  phrases.  Code  words  must  not  be  longer 
than  ten  letters  each.  They  may  be  taken  from  one  or 
more  of  the  following  languages,  viz :  English,  German, 
Spanish,  French,  Dutch,  Italian,  Portuguese,  and  Latin, 
Code  words  taken  from  other  languages  are  not  allowed. 

Rule  6.  Cipher  language  is  formed  of  groups  of  fig- 
ures, or  of  a  series  of  figures  having  a  secret  meaning. 
The  employment  (except  as  commercial  signs)  of  single 
letters,  or  groups  of  letters,  to  convey  secret  meaning  is 
not  allowed. 

Rule  7.  Combinations  or  alterations  of  words  con- 
trary to  the  usage  of  a  language  are  not  allowed. 

Rule  8.  In  plain  messages— i.  e.,  words  containing 
neither  code  words  nor  cipher  groups  of  figures — words 
of  fifteen  letters  or  less— are  counted  each  as  a  word. 
Words  of  over  fifteen  letters  are  counted  at  the  rate  of 
fifteen  letters  to  a  word,  plus  one  word  for  the  excess. 

Rule  9.  In  messages  composed  entirely  of  code  words, 
each  word  is  counted  at  the  rate  of  ten  letters  to  a  word. 

Rule  10.  In  messages  composed  only  of  cipher  groups 
of  figures,  one  word  is  charged  for  the  first  five  figures 
of  each  group,  plus  one  word  for  each  excess  of  five 
figures  or  less. 

Rule  1 1 .  Plain  words  used  in  code  messages  are  counted 
the  same  as  code  words. 

Rule  12.  Plain  words  used  in  cipher  messages  are 
counted  at  the  rate  of  fifteen  letters  to  a  word. 


2218- 


34  OPERATION   AND    MAINTENANCE  OF 

Rule  13.  In  messages  made  up  of  plain  and  code  words 
with  cipher  groups  of  figures,  the  plain  and  the  code 
words  are  counted  at  the  rate  of  ten  letters  to  a  word. 

Rule  14.  In  commercial  signs  or  trade-marks,  figures 
and  letters  are  counted  at  the  rate  of  five  to  a  word,  but 
if  both  letters  and  figures  are  used,  the  letters  and 
figures  must  be  counted  separately. 

Rule  15.  The  following  examples  interpret  the  above 
rules  for  counting : 

*  lu  the  text. 

Responsibility  ( 14  letters) 1  word. 

Unconstitutional  (16  letters) 2  words. 

A-t-il Swords. 

Aujourdhui.- _-_ 1  word. 

AujourdTiui 3  words. 

Newyork 1  word. 

New  York *2  words. 

Frankfort  on  Main _-.*3  words. 

Frankfort  a/m *2  words. 

Frankfurtmain  ___ _*1  word. 

Starokonstantinow *2  words. 

Emmingen  Hannover *2  words. 

Emmingen  Wurtemberg _  *2  words. 

Van  de  Brande. 3  words. 

Vandebrande 1  word. 

Dubois ___  1  word. 

Du  Eois 2  words. 

Hyde  Park 2  words. 

Hydepcirk  (contrary  to  usage  of  the 

language) 2  words. 

Saintjames  Street 2  words. 

Saint  James  Street  -__ 3  words. 

44^  (5  figures  and  signs) 1  word. 

444,  55  (6  figures  and  signs)   2  words. 

lOfr.  50 3  words. 

11  h30. 3  words. 

*  In  the  address  one  word. 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH   LINES.  35 

In  the  text. 

44/  - - 1  word. 

44/2 1  word. 

2% - 1  word. 

Two  hundred  and  thirty  four 5  words. 

Twohundredandthirtyfour  (23  let- 
ters)   2  words. 

State  of  Maryland  (name  of  ship) 3  words. 

Stateof maryland  (name  of  ship) 1  word. 

Emvthf  (6  letters) 2  words. 

Ch  23  (trade-mark) 2  words. 

-^(trade-mark)- _ 1  word. 

o 

-—  (trade-mark) 2  words. 

C.  H.  F.  45 - 4  words. 

The  business  is  urgent,  start  at  once 

(7  words  and  2  underlines) 9  words. 

Send  reply  (if  any)  by  mail  (6  words 
and  parentheses) 7  words. 

Explain  "reversal"  (2  words  and  in- 
verted commas)--- 3  words. 

Rule  16.  A  sender  of  a  message  may  secure  its  repeti- 
tion by  paying  one-quarter  more  than  the  regular  tolls. 

Rule  17.  Telegrams  destined  for  places  to  which  there 
is  no  telegraph  communication  must  contain  the  name 
of  the  place  from  which  they  are  to  be  posted. 

In  the  United  States. 

96.  Words  will  be  counted  and  messages  checked  for 
military  lines  in  the  United  States  by  the  following  rules 
(for  checking  Government  messages  see  par.  93) : 

Rule  1.  In  commercial  messages  all  words  will  be 
counted  and  charged  for  except  the  place  from  which 
sent,  date,  address,  and  signature ;  also  all  words  in  ex- 
cess of  two  in  a  title  after  the  signature,  and  all  extra 
words  in  a  date. 


36  OPERATION  AND   MAINTENANCE  OF 

Rule  2.  All  words  after  the  signature  which  are  not 
title  words,  and  in  the  check  the  words  ' '  Deliver  and 
report  charges, "  "  Delivery  charges  guaranteed, "  "Re- 
I3ort  delivery,"  and  "Report  back." 

Rule  3.  Whenever  more  than  one  signature  is  attached 
to  commercial  messages,  count  all  initials  and  names, 
except  the  last  signature,  as  a  part  of  the  body  of  a 
message. 

Rule  4.  If  a  message  is  to  be  delivered  to  either  one 
or  the  other  of  two  or  more  persons  named  in  the  ad- 
dress— i.  e. ,  if  only  one  delivery  is  to  be  made — only  one 
tariff  will  be  charged ;  but  all  words  after  the  address  of 
the  first  person  will  be  counted  and  charged  for. 

Rule  5.  The  word  "Collect"  will  be  counted  in  the 
check  of  all  collect  messages,  but  no  charge  vnll  be 
made  therefor. 

Rule  6.  In  the  body  of  a  message,  dictionary  words, 
initial  letters,  surnames  of  persons,  names  of  cities, 
towns,  villages.  States,  and  Territories,  or  names  of  the 
Canadian  provinces,  will  be  counted  and  charged  for 
each  as  one  word.  The  abbreviations  for  the  names  of 
cities,  towns,  villages.  States  and  Territories,  and  prov- 
inces will  be  counted  and  charged  for  the  same  as  if 
written  in  full. 

In  names  of  countries  or  counties  all  the  words  will 
be  counted  and  charged  for.    • 

Examples. 

Van  Dom 1  word. 

McGregor  ___ 1  word. 

O'Connor 1  word. 

DeWitt 1  word. 

Brown,  jr _._ 2  words. 

New  York  (or  N.  Y. ) 1  word. 

New  York  State 2  words. 

Nova  Scotia  (N.  S. ) . 1  word. 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH   LINES.  37 

St.  Louis 1  word. 

East  St.  Louis 1  word. 

North  Carolina 1  word. 

Queen  Anne  County Swords, 

New  Mexico 1  word. 

District  of  Columbia  (or  D.  C. ) 1  word. 

North  America 2  words. 

Rule  7.  Figures,  decimal  points,  bars  of  division  and, 
in  ordinal  numbers,  the  affixes  st,  d,  nd,  rd,  and  th 
will  each  be  counted  as  one  word.  Abbreviations  of 
weights  and  measures  in  common  use,  letters  and  pro- 
nounceable groups  of  letters,  when  such  groups  are  not 
improper  combinations  of  dictionary  words,  will  be 
counted  as  one  word. 

Rule  8.  Each  word  of  an  improper  combination  of 
dictionary  words  will  be  counted  as  one  word. 

Rule  9.  To  prevent  liability  to  error,  numbers  should 
be  written  in  words,  and,  when  not  so  written,  the  re- 
ceiving clerk  or  operator  will  request  that  it  be  done. 
If  the  sender  declines  to  write  the  numbers  in  words, 
the  message  will  be  accepted  as  written  and  the  figures 
counted  as  indicated  above. 

Examples. 

44 2  words. 

2.44 4  words. 

241^ _ - Swords. 

10000 Swords. 

1st - 2  words. 

lbs '.'. 1  word. 

Hhds 1  word. 

Intervis 1  word. 

cxgb 4  words. 

to-morrow __ 1  word. 

willbemade 3  words. 

No.  1623rd  st 7  words. 


38  OPERATION   AND    MAINTENANCE   OF 

Exceptions. 

A.  M-- -- 1  word. 

P.  M 1  word. 

F.  O.  B.  (or  fob)--- 1  word. 

C.  O.  D.  (or  cod) 4  word. 

C.  I.  F.  (orcif) 1  word. 

C.F.  I.  (orcfi) 1  word. 

C.  A.  F.  (or  caf ) 1  word. 

Per  cent ...- 1  word. 

Rule  10.  "Night"  messages  to  and  from  commercial 
offices  will  be  accepted  at  the  rates  prescribed  for  such 
messages  in  the  tariff  books  of  commercial  companies, 
but  full  rates  will  be  charged  for  the  military  lines. 
The  word  "night"  will  be  added  to  the  check  in  such 
cases. 

Rule  11.  If  the  sender  requests  a  repetition  of  his 
message,  the  receiving  clerk  will  insert  in  the  check  the 
words  "repeat  back,"  and  will  charge  a  half  rate  for 
the  repetition  in  addition  to  the  rate  for  the  message. 
The  words  "repeat  back"  will  be  included  in  the  count 
and  charged  for. 

MONEY  ACCOUNTS,  RECORDS,  AND  REPORTS. 

97.  An  act  making  appropriations  for  sundry  civil  ex- 
penses of  the  Government  for  the  fiscal  year  ending 
June  thirtieth,  eighteen  hundred  and  eighty-four,  and 
for  other  purposes. 


Par.  3.  That  on  and  after  the  first  day  of  July,  eight- 
een hundred  and  eighty-three,  all  moneys  received  for 
the  transmission  of  private  dispatches  over  any  and  all 
telegraph  lines  owned  or  operated  by  the  United  States 
shall  be  paid  into  the  Treasury  of  the  United  States,  as 
required  by  section  thirty-six  hundred  and  seventeen  of 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH   LINES.  39 

the  Revised  Statutes,  and  all  acts  or  parts  of  acts  incon- 
sistent herewith  aire  hereby  repealed. 

***** 

98.  The  receipts  for  all  business  done  on  the  United 
States  military  lines  will  be  divided  into  what  is  known 
as  ' '  this  line  "  and  ' '  other  lines  "  funds.  The  term  ' '  this 
line  receipts"  applies  to  moneys  received  for  private 
dispatches  sent  over  any  portion  of  the  telegraph  lines 
owned  or  operated  by  the  United  States,  and  is  public 
money. 

99.  The  term  ' '  other  line  receipts  "  is  applied  to  money 
collected  on  account  of  the  commercial  companies,  and 
is  in  no  wise  Government  money,  and  is  not,  therefore, 
governed  by  the  requirements  of  the  act  of  March  3, 
1883,  quoted.  In  order,  therefore,  that  correct  accounts 
may  be  rendered  of  both  "this  line"  and  "other  lines" 
receipts,  in  accordance  with  the  intentions  of  the  law, 
a  check  ledger  will  be  kept  (pars.  112  and  113),  and  sepa- 
rate accounts  current,  with  proper  vouchers,  will  be 
rendered  for  both  ' '  this  "  and  ' '  other  "  line  cash  receipts. 

100.  All  messages  not  entitled  to  be  sent  free  or  under 
frank,  or  as  ofl&cial  business,  will  be  prepaid  or  guaran- 
teed^by  deposit  or  otherwise. 

101.  All  telegrams  on  War  Department  business  of- 
fered at  ofi&ces  on  the  United  States  military  telegraph 
lines  which  are  designed  to  pass  partly  over  commercial 
telegraph  lines  will  be  checked  "O.B.  &W.D.,"  pre- 
ceded by  the  number  of  words  contained  in  the  message, 
including  the  address  and  signature,  and  will  be  ac- 
counted for  by  both  sending  and  receiving  offices  as  free 
business.  In  telegrams  of  this  description  all  numbers 
must  be«expressed  in  words,  not  figures.     (A.  K..,  1211.) 

At  transfer  offices  such  telegrams  wall  be  turued  over 
to  the  agent  of  the  commercial  line  and  receipt  taken 
therefor  in  the  usual  manner,  but  the  agent  will  be 


40  OPERATION   AND    MAINTENANCE   OF 

notified  lliat  they  are  received  for  transmission  sub- 
ject to  settlement  by  the  disbursing  officers  of  the 
Quartermaster's  Department. 

102.  Telegrams,  whether  from  officers  or  enlisted 
riien,  sent  to  any  headquarters  making  application  for 
leave  of  absence,  or  extension  of  leaves,  or  of  inquiry  if 
laaves  have  been  granted,  and  the  replies  made  by  tele- 
graph thereto,  are  regarded  as  personal  and  must  not  be 
cent  or  paid  for  as  public  dispatchas.     (A.  R.,  1209.) 

103.  Operators  in  charge  of  transfer  stations  will  pre- 
pare at  the  end  of  each  month  a  statement,  in  duplicate, 
of  all  "  O.  B.  &  W.  D. "  telegrams  transferred  to  commer- 
cial telegraph  lines  at  their  stations,  on  Form  No.  119. 
One  copy  of  this  form  will  be  handed  to  the  manager  of 
the  commercial  telegraph  line,  and  the  other  mailed  to 
the  disbursing  officer  of  the  Quartermaster's  Department 
who  has  been  designated  to  settle  such  accounts  in  the 
military  department  in  which  the  station  is  located. 

104.  The  original  copies  of  all  telegrams  not  prepaid 
which  may  originate  and  may  be  sent  from  offices  on 
the  United  States  military  telegraph  lines  on  military 
business,  the  cost  of  which  is  payable  by  the  Quarter- 
master's Department,  will  be  carefully  preserved  and 
forwarded  by  the  operators  in  charge  on  the  first  day  of 
each  month,  or  as  soon  thereafter  as  practicable,  to  the 
officers  of  the  Quartermaster's  Department  who  may  be 
assigned  by  the  department  commander  to  the  duty  of 
adjusting  £,:id  settling  telegraph  accounts  under  the 
provisions  of  General  Orders,  No.  15,  Headquarters  of 
the  Army,  Adjutant  General's  Office,  series  of  1887. 

105.  Official  telegrams  of  officers  or  agents  of  Govern- 
ment departments,  other  than  the  War  Department,  will 
also  be  transmitted  free  over  military  telegraph  lines, 
but  when  to  be  transmitted  to  points  on  commercial 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  41 

lines  they  will  be  checked  "Paid  Govt,  rates," or  "Col- 
lect Govt,  rates,"  as  the  sender  may  desire,  but  tele- 
grams sent  collect  must  be  guaranteed  by  the  sender. 
If  the  sender  desires  to  send  the  telegram  checked  ' '  Paid 
Govt. rates,"  but  without  prepaying  the  tariffs, and  in- 
dorses the  telegram  ' '  Official  business, "  it  will  be  checked 
' '  Paid  Govt,  rates. "  The  sending  operator  will  mail  the 
original  message  to  the  operator  in  charge  of  the  trans- 
fer office  on  the  military  line  at  which  the  telegram  was 
transferred  to  the  commercial  line,  the  latter  operator 
will  turn  it  over  to  the  manager  of  the  commercial  com- 
pany to  which  transferred  for  collection  by  his  com- 
pany. Such  telegrams  will  be  entered  and  accounted 
for  as  free  business  by  both  offices. 

106.  Moneys  received  on  account  of  messages  to  be 
mailed  or  delivered  by  special  messenger  will  be  taken 
up  under  the  head  of  "Sundry  receipts"  on  the  "other 
lines  "  account  current,  indicating  thereon  in  each  case 
the  amount  and  the  office  at  which  the  message  is  to  be 
mailed  or  delivered.  The  receiving  office,  in  cases  of 
postage,  will  render  a  statement  known  as  ' '  Statement 
of  moneys  expended  for  postage"  (Form  120),  showing 
the  amount  of  postage  paid  on  mailed  messages  and  the 
names  of  the  several  offices  ordering  same,  and  will  take 
credit  for  the  total  amount  under  the  head  of  ' '  Postage  " 
on  his  * '  other  lines  "  account  current.  In  cases  of  special 
delivery,  he  will  take  credit  on  the  same  account  current, 
under  proper  heading,  for  the  total  amount  of  payments 
made  on  account  of  each  office  ordering  special  deliver- 
ies, giving  the  name  of  the  office,  and  will  forward  the 
receipt,  in  duplicate,  of  the  party  performing  the  service, 
as  a  voucher  for  the  expenditure.  The  money  received 
or  paid  out  for  special  delivery  will  be  debited  or  cred- 
ited, as  the  case  may  be,  on  the  "other  lines"  account 
current. 


42  OPERATION  AND  MAINTENANCE   OF 

No  money  will  be  paid  out  for  either  postage  or  special 
delivery  without  the  special  authority,  embraced  in  the 
check  of  messages  or  otherwise,  of  the  sending  office. 

Franked  envelopes  will  be  used  when  official  messages 
are  to  be  mailed  to  destination.  The  use  of  franked 
envelopes  for  commercial  or  D.  H.  messages  is  strictly 
prohibited.  Commercial  messages  ordered  to  be  mailed 
will,  in  every  case,  be  prepaid. 

107.  Messages  addressed  to  points  on  other  lines  will 
be  checked  against  the  office  of  ' '  this  line  "  at  which  they 
are  transferred.  Transfer  offices  will  not  be  checked 
with  the  "other  lines"  tolls  for  messages  received  paid 
from  or  sent  collect  to  offices  on  other  lines.  In  both 
these  cases  the  military  line  tolls  only  will  be  checked 
against  the  transfer  office. 

108.  The  office  accepting  and  sending  a  message  ' '  col- 
lect" is  responsible  for  the  charges  on  the  same.  The 
one  exception  to  the  rule  is  the  case  in  which  the  mes- 
sage is  an  answer  to  a  paid  message  received.  In  this 
case  it  is  the  duty  of  the  operator  sending  the  said  paid 
message  to  guarantee  the  charges  on  the  answer  should 
any  be  sent. 

109.  When  a  deposit  has  been  made  to  guarantee  pay- 
ment for  transmission,  or  for  special  delivery,  the  deposit 
will  be  returned  after  three  days,  if  no  notice  of  failure 
to  collect  the  charges  has  been  received,  but  if  a  notice 
of  failure  to  collect  be  received,  the  amount  due  will  be 
deducted  from  the  deposit  and  the  remainder  will  be 
returned. 

110.  The  charges  on  "collect"  messages  will  be  col- 
lected on  delivery.  In  case  payment  is  refused,  the 
receiving  office  will  at  once  notify  the  transmitting 
office  by  telegraph  (an  office  message),  and  the  latter 
will  collect  the  charges  from  the  party  sending  the 
message. 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH   LINES.  43 

111.  An  office  having  sent  a  collect  message  and 
received  a  notice  of  failure,  from  any  cause,  to  ' '  collect, " 
will  under  no  circumstances  request  that  the  check  "be 
changed,  but  the  message  will  be  entered  upon  the  books 
of  the  sending  and  receiving  offices  precisely  as  if  the 
charges  had  been  collected.  The  manager  of  the  receiv- ' 
ing  office  will  take  credit  on  his  "other  lines"  account 
current  for  the  amount  of  "other  lines"  tolls  and  for- 
ward therewith  an  "other  lines"  statement  of  uncol- 
lected messages,  in  duplicate,  each  copy  of  statement 
accompanied  by  a  copy  of  every  uncollectible  message 
and  of  every  office  message  pertaining  thereto,  and  will 
obtain  credit  for  the  "this  line"  tolls  by  deducting  the 
amount  of  same  from  the  receipts  of  his  office  for  the 
day  on  which  the  message  is  entered,  and  will  for- 
ward a  "this  line"  statement  of  uncollected  messages, 
in  duplicate,  with  copies  of  messages,  as  above  pre- 
scribed for  "other  lines."  This  method  of  obtaining 
credit  for  the  amount  of  "this  line  "  tolls  will,  of  course, 
show  an  apparent  discrepancy  between  the  amount 
checked  against  an  office  and  the  amount  taken  up,  but 
it  is  only  apparent,  as  the  amount  taken  up  on  account 
current  added  to  the  amount  of  uncollected  messages, 
as  shown  in  statement  of  uncollected  messages,  should, 
if  all  are  correct,  exactly  balance  the  amount  checked 
against  the  office.  The  office  receiving  a  collect  mes- 
sage on  which  it  has  been  unable  to  collect  the  charges 
will,  in  order  to  be  allowed  credit  therefor,  show  that  the 
sending  office  was  duly  notified  by  telegraph  that  the 
message  was  uncollectible.  The  transmitting  office  will 
then  collect  the  charges  from  the  sender,  and  if  the 
message  be  one  to  an  office  upon  the  military  line,  the 
amount  of  "this  line"  tolls  will  be  taken  up  on  "this 
line"  account  current  under  the  heading  "Received  for 


44  OPERATION   AND    MAINTENANCE  OF 

guaranteed  messages,"  accompanied  by  duplicate  state- 
ments of  guaranteed  messages,  with  each  copy  of  which 
will  be  furnished  copies  of  all  guaranteed  and  office 
messages  pertaining  thereto.  If  the  message  be  one  sent 
to  a  point  upon  a  commercial  telegraph  line,  the  com- 
bined amount  of  ' '  this  line  "  and  ' '  other  lines  "  tolls  will 
be  taken  up  on  the  "other  lines"  account  current  under 
the  heading  "Sundry  receipts,"  accompanied  by  state- 
ments, etc.,  as  directed  for  the  "this  line"  account 
current. 

The  "this  line "  guaranteed  tolls  are  taken  up  on  the 
"other  line"  account  current  to  avoid  taking  up  the 
same  amount  of  "this  line  "  tolls  guaranteed  and  uncol- 
lectible on  the  same  message  twice  upon  the  "this 
line "  account  current  and  covering  it  into  the  United 
States  Treasury  at  the  expense  of  "other  lines."  (See 
par.  138.) 

112.  A  check  ledger  will  be  kept  at  each  telegraph 
office.  The  first  division  of  the  ledger  (the  eight  col- 
umns between  date  columns)  immediately  following  the 
last  division  used  during  the  preceding  month  will  be 
reserved  for  the  home  office,  the  name  of  which  will  be 
written  in  red  ink  at  the  top.  The  name  of  each  office 
on  the  line,  in  alphabetical  order,  and  written  in  black 
ink,  will  follow  that  of  the  home  office,  each  being 
assigned  a  division  of  the  check  ledger.  At  the  close  of 
business  each  day  the  messages  will  be  sorted  and 
arranged  alphabetically  in  respect  to  stations.  All 
messages,  commercial  and  free  (which  latter  will  include 
official  and  "deadhead"  business),  sent  to  or  received 
from  each  station  will  be  kept  together  and  in  the  order 
named.  Messages  sent  or  received  free  over  ' '  this  line, " 
but  carrying  "other  lines "  tolls,  will  be  filed  with  com- 
mercial messages.  After  the  amounts  representing  the 
tolls  received  by  and  checked  against  the  home  office 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES. 


45 


have  been  determined  for  each  ofl&ce,  the  totals  will  be 
entered  in  the  check  ledger  in  their  respective  divisions 
and  under  the  proper  headings. 

The  term  "this  office"  always  refers  to  the  office 
keeping  the  check  ledger. 

At  transfer  offices  the  ledger  will  be  made  up  daily  as 
follows :  The  headings  ' '  This  office  receives  "  and  ' '  This 
office  checks  "  of  the  first  or  home  office  division  will  be 
erased  and  replaced  with  one  heading  reading  "This 
office  receives."  Over  the  first  two  columns  and  under 
the  words  "This  line"  will  be  written  "  W.  U.,  Dr.,"  or 
the  initials  of  the  company  to  whose  lines  transfers  are 
made.  The  subheading  "Other  lines"  over  the  second 
two  columns  will  be  erased  and  ' '  This  line  "  inserted, 
under  which  will  be  written  ' '  (Local  cash) . "  The-  '  This 
line"  over  the  third  two  columns  will  be  erased  and  the 
word  "Total"  written  in.  Over  the  fourth  (last)  two 
columns  the  words  "Other  lines "  will  be  erased  and  the 
word  "Sundries "  written  in  their  place. 

Example. 

THIS  OFFICE  RECEIVES. 


This  line. 
W.  U.,  Dr. 


This  line. 
(Local  cash.) 


Total. . 


Sundries. 


In  the  first  two  columns  the  amount  of  tolls  covering 
"this  line"  tariff  on  messages  received  paid  from  and 
sent  collect  to  offices  on  the  Western  Union  Telegraph 
Company's  lines  will  be  entered.  In  the  second  two 
columns  will  be  entered  the  amount  of  local  cash  col- 
lected at  the  transfer  office  for  messages  originating  at 


46 


OPERATION  AND   MAINTENANCE  OF 


that  office  and  sent  paid  to  offices  on  this  line  or  received 
collect  from  other  offices  on  this  line  for  delivery.  The 
amounts  in  the  first  four  columns  will  then  be  added 
together  and  the  resulting  figures  entered  in  the  third 
two  columns,  which  will  show  the  amount  of  "this 
line"  tolls  checked  against  the  transfer  offices  by  the 
other  offices  on  ' '  this  line. "  The  footings  of  the  first  two 
columns  will  show  the  amount  due  from  the  Western 
Union  Telegraph  Company  at  the  end  of  the  month, 
while  the  sum  due  to  the  Western  Union  Telegraph 
Company  is  equal  to  the  sum  of  all  ' '  other  lines  "  tolls 
checked  against  all  offices  on  the  line.  Money  received 
for  special  delivery,  guaranteed  messages,  and  postage 
will  be  entered  under  the  heading  "Sundries." 

113.  At  offices  other  than  transfer  offices  the  check 
ledger  will  be  made  up  daily  as  follows :  The  headings 
"This  office  receives"  and  "This  office  checks"  of  the 
first  or  home  office  division  will  be  erased  and  replaced 
with  one  heading  reading  "This  office  receives."  Over 
the  first  four  columns  and  under  the  headings  "This 
line  "  and  ' '  Other  lines  "  will  be  written  ' '  (Local  cash) . " 
Over  the  third  two  columns  the  words  "This  line"  will 
be  erased  and  the  word  "Total"  inserted,  and  over  the 
fourth  (last)  two  columns  the  words  "Other  lines"  will 
be  erased  and  the  word  "Sundries"  inserted. 


Example. 

THIS  OFFICE  RECEIVES. 


Local  cash. 

Total. 

Sundries. 

This  Hue. 

other  lines. 

t 

i 
i 

U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH   LINES.  47 

In  the  first  two  columns  of  the  division  will  be  entered 
the  amount  of  "this  line"  tolls  received  on  messages 
sent  paid  or  received  collect.  In  the  second  two  col- 
umns will  be  entered  the  amount  of  "other  lines"  tolls 
received  for  messages  sent  paid  or  received  collect.  In 
the  third  two  columns  will  be  entered  the  aggregate  of 
the  first  four  columns,  which  will  thus  show  the  total 
amount  of  telegraph  tolls  received  daily.  Money  re- 
ceived for  special  delivery,  guaranteed  messages,  and 
postage  will  be  entered  under  the  heading  "Sundries." 

114.  A  check  report  (Form  No.  105)  will  be  made 
monthly  and  forwarded  with  the  accounts  current. 
This  report  is  an  abstract  of  the  check  ledger,  and  will 
be  prepared  as  follows : 

Enter  in  the  first  column,  in  alphabetical  order,  the 
names  of  all  offices  with  which  commercial  business  has 
been  done  during  the  month ;  then  enter  opposite  the 
name  of  each  office,  under  the  heading  "This  office 
checks  other  offices,"  the  total  amount  shown  by  the 
check  ledger  to  have  been  checked  against  said  office 
for  "this  line"  and  "other  lines,"  respectively,  and 
under  the  heading  "other  offices  check  this  office,"  en- 
ter the  totals  "this  line  "and  "other  lines,"  respec- 
tively, shown  on  the  check  ledger  under  the  heading 
' '  This  office  receives. "  The  number  of  messages  handled 
during  the  month  will  be  shown  on  this  report  as  shown 
on  the  back  of  the  form.  The  check  report  will  be  made 
in  duplicate,  one  copy  to  be  retained  at  the  office  and 
the  other  forwarded  with  the  accounts  current. 

115.  Every  officer  in  charge  of  a  division  of  a  mili- 
tary telegraph  line  will  keep  two  distinct  cashbooks, 
one  for  "this  line"  and  one  for  "other  lines"  receipts, 
in  which  will  be  kept  a  detailed  record  of  all  moneys, 
item  by  item,  received  or  disbursed  by  him.  The  book 
will  be  balanced  at  the  end  of  each  calendar  month  (or 


48  OPERATION  AND   MAINTENANCE  OF 

more  frequently  if  necessary),  to  exhibit  the  precise 
condition  of  his  money  responsibility. 

116.  Where  post-office  money  orders  can  be  obtained, 
remittances  will  be  made  to  the  officer  in  charge  when- 
ever, during  the  month,  the  total  amount  on  hand  of 
both  ' '  this  line  "  and  '  'other  lines  "  funds  reaches  the  sum 
of  $50,  and  at  the  close  of  the  month.  The  cost  of  the 
money  orders  will  be  reimbursed  to  the  operator,  upon 
proper  vouchers,  from  this  office,  preferably  when  it 
aggregates  one  dollar  or  more.  In  no  case  will  operators 
fail  to  forward  vouchers  for  such  reimbursements. 

Where  post-office  money  orders  can  not  be  obtained, 
remittances  will  be  made  by  registered  mail  whenever 
the  total  amount  of  funds  on  hand  reaches  $20,  and  at 
the  close  of  the  month.  Accompanying  each  remit- 
tance will  be  sent  duplicate  invoices  and  receipts  upon 
the  prescribed  forms,  No.  121  or  No.  122,  separately,  for 
'  *  this  "  and  ' '  other  "  line  funds. 

117.  The  duplicate  receipts  will  be  signed  by  the 
officer  to  whom  the  money  is  sent,  who  will  at  once  re- 
turn both  copies  to  the  operator  in  charge,  remitting 
the  money.  The  operator  in  charge  will  then  file  one 
copy  with  the  retained  account  current  on  which  the 
remittance  is  credited,  and  promptly  forward  the  other 
copy  direct  to  the  Chief  Signal  Officer  for  file  with  the 
corresponding  station  account  current  received  through 
the  officer  in  charge. 

The  officer  will  preserve  the  duplicate  invoices,  at- 
taching one  copy  to  his  retained  account  current  and 
the  other  to  his  account  current  which  goes  forward  to 
the  Chief  Signal  Officer. 

The  above  applies  to  both  "this  line"  and  "other 
lines  "  invoices,  receipts,  and  accounts  current. 

118.  On  the  first  day  of  every  month  each  operator  in 
charge  will,  on  Form  No.  132,  report  every  remittance 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH   LINES.  49 

of  funds  made  to  the  officer  in  charge  since  the  first  day 
of  the  preceding  month.  The  statement  should  agree 
with  the  credits  for  remittances  on  the  corresponding 
accounts  current,  and  must  be  made  out  strictly  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  printed  instructions  on  the  back  of 
the  form. 

This  statement  must  be  mailed  direct  to  the  Chief 
Signal  Officer  on  the  first  day  of  each  month. 

119.  Remittances  may  be  made  in  checks  for  pay  or 
commutation  of  rations.  When  these  are  used  they 
must  be  indorsed  to  the  order  of  the  officer  to  whom 
sent,  as  follows :  ' '  Pay  to  the  order  of  (name  of  officer) ;" 
signature. 

The  signature  will  correspond  in  every  respect  to  the 
name  as  it  appears  on  the  face  of  the  check. 

120.  All  remittances  of  currency  or  coin  will  be  made 
by  registered  mail.  A  supply  of  stamps  for  registering 
purposes  will  be  furnished  by  this  office  upon  applica- 
tion therefor.  These  stamps  will  be  invoiced  and  taken 
up  and  accounted  for  on  property  returns,  and  will  not 
be  used  for  any  other  purpose  except  that  provided  for 
in  this  paragraph. 

121.  When  remittances  are  made  in  coin  or  currency 
special  care  will  be  taken  to  wrap  the  coin  or  currency 
compactly,  and  then  inclose  the  same  in  a  perfectly 
secure  manner.  If  envelopes  are  used,  care  will  be 
taken  that  they  are  well  gummed,  securely  fastened, 
and  are  sufficiently  stout,  so  that  they  will  not  be  in- 
jured in  transmission.  Linen-lined  envelopes  for  this 
puri^ose  will  be  furnished  upon  application. 

122.  All  moneys  received  as  "this  line "  tolls  on  the 
United  States  military  telegraph  lines  will  be  deposited 
by  the  officer  in  charge  in  some  designated  depository 
for  public  funds,  and  when  necessary  will  be  sent  to 
such  depository  by  registered  mail. 

2218 1 


50  OPERATION  AND   MAINTENANCE  OF 

123.  The  moneys  received  by  officers  in  charge  on 
account  of  ' '  other  lines  "  tolls  will,  whenever  the  sum 
on  hand  amounts  to  $100,  be  turned  over  to  the  com- 
mercial company  on  whose  account  it  was  received, 
and  receipt  taken  therefor. 

Each  sum  turned  over  will  be  credited  to  the  month 
or  months  to  which  it  belongs,  and  after  an  adjust- 
ment of  the  accounts  between  a  commercial  company 
and  the  United  States  any  balance  found  due  said 
company  will  be  turned  over  and  receipt  taken  therefor 
on  Form  No.  118. 

The  vouchers  for  any  one  month  will  be  forwarded 
with  the  "other  lines"  accounts  current  of  the  officer 
in  charge  for  that  month-,  and  the  aggregate  of  them 
should  cover  the  total  amount  received  as  shown  by 
said  accounts  current. 

124.  Each  officer  in  charge  will  open  in  a  ledger  (an 
ordinary  blank  book)  an  account  with  each  commer- 
cial company,  crediting  such  company  with  all  amounts 
received  on  its  account,  and  debiting  it  with  each 
remittance. 

The  ledger  should  be  balanced  each  month. 

125.  In  making  remittances  to  telegraph  companies 
the  money  will  be  securely  done  up  and  sent  by  regis- 
tered mail,  but  it  must  be  expressly  understood  that 
the  United  States  in  no  way  holds  itself  responsible 
for  any  losses  occurring,  either  through  the  infidelity 
of  any  of  its  employees  or  for  losses  in  transit  to  the 
commercial  companies.  These  are  risks  which  the  com- 
mercial companies  must  assume  in  their  dealings  with 
the  United  States,  but  every  precaution  must  be  taken 
to  guard  against  any  such  losses,  and  the  same  care 
Avill  be  exacted  in  handling  "other  lines"  tolls  as  is 
required  in  case  of  moneys  belonging  to  the  United 
States. 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  51 

126.  On  the  first  day  of  each  month  each  operator 
in  charge  will  prepare  an  account  current  for  the  pre- 
ceding month  in  triplicate,  Form  No.  103;  one  copy 
to  be  retained,  the  other  two  forwarded  to  the  ofl&cer 
in  charge,  debiting  thereon  only  the  moneys  actually 
received  by  him  during  the  month  belonging  to  "this 
line. "  On  this  account  current  no  credits  whatever  will 
be  taken  except  for  cash  remittances  to  this  office  or  the 
officer  in  charge.  The  total  of  such  remittances  must 
balance  the  total  ''this  line"  receipts  for  the  month. 

127.  Another  set  of  accounts  current  will  be  pre- 
pared in  triplicate,  Form  No.  104;  one  copy  to  be  re- 
tained, the  other  two  forwarded  to  the  officer  in  charge, 
debiting  thereon,  in  the  proper  columns,  "other  lines" 
tolls  and  all  sundry  receipts.  Credit  will  be  taken  on 
this  account  current  for  authorized  expenditures,  such 
as  postage,  special  deliveries,  and  "other  lines"  tolls  on 
uncollected  messages. 

128.  Both  "this  line"  and  "other  lines"  station  ac- 
counts current,  complete  as  to  vouchers  and  in  all  other 
respects,  together  with  all  telegraph  (message)  reports 
for  the  month,  will  be  forwarded  in  one  package  with 
a  letter  of  transmittal  as  soon  as  practicable  after  the 
end  of  the  month,  and  certainly  not  later  than  the  fifth 
day  of  the  succeeding  month. 

129.  The  accounts  current  of  an  officer  in  charge  will 
be  forwarded  to  the  Chief  Signal  Officer  not  later  than 
the  tenth  day  of  the  month  succeeding  the  one  to 
which  the  accounts  pertain,  and  on  them  he  will  report 
only  the  moneys  actually  received  by  him  during  the 
month  on  either  account  current.  ' '  This  line  "  account 
current.  Form  No.  101,  to  be  forwarded  in  duplicate; 
"other  lines"  account  current,  Form  No.  102,  a  single 
copy  only  is  required. 


52  OPERATION  AND   MAINTENANCE  OP 

130.  Receipt  for  the  payment  of  money  will  be  signed 
under  the  hands  of  the  person  or  firm  to  whom  the  money 
is  due  and  was  paid.  The  affix  "per"  or  "by"  or  the 
initials  of  a  name  to  the  signature  of  a  receipt  renders 
it  inadmissible.  If  the  receipts  are  signed  by  mark,  the 
signature  will  be  witnessed  by  two  persons,  neither  of 
whom  shall  be  the  person  in  whose  favor  the  receipt  is 
given. 

131.  In  case  of  money  paid  to  a  corporation  or  com- 
pany, the  receipt  will  be  signed  under  the  hand  of  the 
treasurer,  and  to  his  signature  will  be  added  his  title. 

132.  The  accounts  of  each  station,  as  well  as  of  offi- 
cers in  charge,  will  be  sent  when  received  at  this  office 
direct  to  the  examining  officer,  except  for  stations  under 
the  control  of  the  officer  in  charge  at  this  office,  in  which 
event  the  accounts  and  forms  belonging  thereto  will  be 
sent  to  that  officer.  After  examination  by  him,  and  the 
adjustment  of  errors,  if  found,  they  will  be  sent  to  the 
examining  officer  for  further  examination.  The  ac- 
counts current  for  "other  lines"  receipts  will  be  filed  in 
the  office  of  the  Chief  Signal  Officer  and  will  not  be  for- 
warded to  the  Treasury  Department.  Those  for  "this 
line  "  receipts  will  be  forwarded  to  the  Treasury  Depart- 
ment for  final  settlement. 

133.  At  transfer  offices,  and  at  transfer  offices  only, 
the  following  directions  will  govern  (pars.  134  to  143): 

134.  The  statements  of  guaranteed  and  uncollected 
messages  made  to  accompany  the  account  current  will 
include  only  the  local  guaranteed  and  uncollectible 
messages. 

135.  Transfer  statements  of  guaranteed  messages  and 
transfer  statements  of  uncollected  messages  will  accom- 
pany the  accounts  current  in  duplicate  for  months  dur- 
ing which  said  messages  have  been  handled,  each  copy 
of  statement  to  have  attached  a  copy  of  every  message 
and  office  message  pertaining  thereto. 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  53 

136.  The  transfer  statements  of  guaranteed  messages 
will  include  all  transfer  messages  which  should  be  ac- 
counted for  as  guaranteed  at  points  on  this  line. 

137.  The  transfer  statements  of  uncollectible  messages 
will  include  all  transfer  messages  returned  as  uncol- 
lectible at  points  on  this  line. 

138.  The  total  amount  of  the  last-named  statement 
will  be  taken  up  on  the  accounts  current  ' '  this  line " 
and  "other  lines,"  respectively,  at  the  transfer  office 
under  "Sundry  receipts  refunded  from  other  lines, "  and 
on  the  other  side  of  the  same  account  current  credit  will 
be  taken  in  one  item  for  the  total  amount  of  the  bill  of 
this  line  against  the  other  line.  This  bill  will  be  item- 
ized as  follows  (see  par.  Ill): 

Amount  due  on  regular  transfers. 
Amount  due  on  uncollectible  messages. 
Amount  due  for  special  delivery. 
Amount  due  for  postage. 

1 39.  The  amounts  due  from  the  * '  other  lines  "  for  spe- 
cial delivery  and  postage  will  be  taken  up  under  ' '  sundry 
receipts "  with  the  local  receipts  under  those  heads,  as 
prescribed  for  offices  not  transfer  offices,  a  corresponding 
credit  being  obtained  on  the  other  side  of  the  account  cur- 
rent by  the  amount  due  from  "other  lines,"  as  i)er  bill. 

140.  The  bill  of  the  "other  lines"  against  "this  line" 
should  be  itemized  as  described  in  par.  138. 

141.  Payments  of  amounts  due  "other  lines "  will  not 
be  made  to  managers  of  transfer  offices ;  but  the  bill, 
signed  by  the  manager  and  certified  to  by  the  military 
operator  in  charge,  will  be  forwarded  to  this  office  or  to 
the  officer  in  charge,  as  the  case  may  be,  with  the  ac- 
counts current. 

142.  Whenever  it  becomes  necessary  for  an  operator, 
at  a  transfer  office,  to  forward  a  bill  against  a  commer- 
cial company,  in  lieu  of  cash,  to  balance  his  account, 


54  OPERATION  AND    MAINTENANCE  OF 

said  operator  will  treat  such  bill  (so  far  as  the  invoices 
and  receipts  are  concerned)  as  if  it  was  "cash," 

143.  Thus,  where  the  remittance  consists  partly  of 
cash  and  partly  of  a  bill  against  a  commercial  com- 
pany, two  sets  of  invoices  and  receipts  will  be  made 
out,  one  set  covering  the  actual  cash  and  the  other  set 
covering  the  bill.  In  case  there  should  be  more  than  one 
bill,  separate  invoices  and  receipts  should  be  made  for 
each  bill.  The  letter  of  transmittal  will  fully  describe 
the  inclosures,  and  the  bills  should  accompany. 

144.  The  officer  in  charge  will  take  up  the  cash  re- 
mittance on  his  account  current  for  the  month  in  which 
he  received  it,  returning  to  the  operator  the  receipts 
therefor,  properly  signed,  and  after  collecting  the 
amount  of  the  bill  from  the  commercial  company  he 
will  then  take  up  the  amount  of  said  bill  on  his  account 
current  and  return  to  the  operator  the  corresponding 
receipts,  which  will  bear  even  date  with  the  date  of 
collection. 

145.  The  invoices  for  both  the  cash  remittance  and 
the  bill  (which,  when  collected,  becomes  "cash")  will 
be  used  by  the  officer  in  support  of  the  entries  on  his 
account  current. 

146.  In  settling  with  the  telegraph  companies  for 
amounts  due  ' '  other  lines, "  receipted  bills  of  ' '  this  line  " 
against ' '  other  lines  "  will  be  transmitted  to  the  treasurer 
as  so  much  cash. 

147.  The  discrepancies  found  to  exist  between  the 
check  report  of  various  offices  when  examined  by  the 
officer  in  charge  will  be  taken  cognizance  of  and  trans- 
ferred to  the  "record  of  check  errors." 

148.  In  the  examination  of  the  check  report  of  the 
various  offices  which  check  one  another,  should  any  dis- 
crepancies be  discovered,  the  office  which  appears  to  be 
deficient  will  be  sent  an  error  sheet  showing  the  dis- 
crepancy. 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  55 

149.  Immediately  on  the  receipt  of  an  error  sheet  at 
a  station  the  operator  in  charge,  whether  or  not  he 
was  on  duty  at  the  station  during  the  period  referred 
to  in  such  error  sheet,  will  at  once  forward,  by  mail,  to 
each  ofiSce  with  which  the  discrepancy  is  shown  to 
exist  a  postal  error  card,  on  which  will  be  entered  the 
total  amount  of  "business  done  each  day  between  his 
own  and  the  disagreeing  offices  during  the  month  to 
which  the  error  sheet  refers. 

150.  The  operator  receiving  an  error  card  will,  with- 
out delay,  compare  the  daily  record  of  business  shown 
thereon  with  his  check  ledger  and  telegraph  register, 
and  ent^r,  on  Form  No.  127,  check  error  sheet  (United 
States  Telegraph),  the  dates  on  which  the  discrepancies 
occur,  and  show  by  copies  of  the  messages  exchanged 
on  those  days  that  the  amounts  checked  against  the 
office  on  such  dates  are  correct.  This  form,  with  copies 
of  messages  and  any  other  information  necessary  to  its 
explanation,  together  with  the  error  card,  will  be  re- 
turned to  the  office  from  which  it  was  received,  and  the 
latter  office,  after  receiving  replies  from  all  disagreeing 
offices,  will,  in  case  of  deficiencies,  and  if  he  be  respon- 
sible therefor,  remit  to  the  officer  in  charge  the  amount 
due,  together  with  invoices  and  receipts,  forwarding  at 
the  same  time  all  papers  relating  to  the  error  sheet  in 
question.  If  the  operator  then  in  charge  of  the  station 
be  not  responsible  for  the  deficiencies,  the  papers  will 
be  forwarded  to  the  officer  in  charge,  with  a  statement 
showing  to  whom  the  errors  are  properly  chargeable. 

151.  If  the  operator  receiving  an  error  card  finds,  on 
comparing  the  statement  of  business  shown  thereon 
with  his  record,  that  he  has  over  checked  the  office  send- 
ing the  same,  an  acknowledgment,  stating  particularly 
how  the  overcheck  occurred,  will  be  forwarded  to  the 
operator,  returning  at  the  same  time  the  error  card. 


56  OPERATION  AND    MAINTENANCE  OP 

Acknowledgment  must  be  written  on  letter  paper  and 
signed  with  the  full  name  and  official  designation  of  the 
operator  in  charge  making  them ;  and  if  the  overcheck 
be  by  a  transfer  office  and  for  "other  lines"  money,  the 
manager  will  at  once  forward  to  the  officer  in  charge 
a  corrected  transfer  bill  of  "other  lines"  against  the 
United  States  for  the  month  in  which  the  error  occurred. 
No  alterations  will  be  made  in  the  error  sheet  by  opera- 
tors, but  the  discrepancies  shown  will  be  accounted  for 
either  by  satisfactory  explanations  or  remittances.  In 
returning  the  error  sheet  to  the  officer  in  charge,  the 
operator  will  note  opposite  each  station  under  the  head- 
ing^" explained"  or  "paid"  the  several  amounts  covered 
by  remittances  or  explanations.  Error  sheets  vnll  be 
returned  to  the  officer  in  charge,  with  explanations  or 
money  to  cover  the  deficits,  with  the  least  possible  delay 
after  their  receipt.  Where  an  error  sheet  is  unduly  de- 
layed through  the  negligence  of  operators  to  reply  to 
error  cards,  the  fact  will  be  reported  by  telegraph  to 
the  officer  in  charge. 

152.  Operators  in  charge  are  enjoined  to  use  the 
utmost  care  to  see  that  the  statements  submitted  with 
error  sheets  in  explanation  of  deficits  are  clear  and 
explicit  and  conform  strictly  ^vith  the  records  of  the 
office. 

1 53.  The  ' '  Record  of  check  errors  "  is  a  book  in  which 
a  complete  history  of  all  check  errors  will  be  kept  by 
the  officers  in  charge.  Check  errors  will  be  entered  in 
the  "record"  as  fast  as  receipt  of  check  reports  will 
allow.  Immediately  upon  the  receipt  of  moneys  on 
check  errors  they  will  be  posted  in  the  proper  cash 
books.  They  will  also  be  taken  up  on  the  account  cur- 
rent of  the  officer  in  charge,  for  the  particular  class  of 
tolls  to  which  they  belong,  for  the  month  in  which  they 
are  received,  under  the  head  of  ' '  Received  on  account  of 
check  errors,"  giving  the  month  in  which  errors 
occurred  and  name  of  office. 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  57 

154.  The  assignment  of  enlisted  men,  or  the  appoint- 
ment of  civilians,  as  operators  in  charge  of  United 
States  military  telegraph  stations  will  only  be  made 
after  the  most  careful  scrutiny  and  satisfactory  exami- 
nation of  their  references  as  to  probity,  previous  record, 
employment,  and  reliability,  and  that  they  are  vouched 
for  in  every  respect.  Credit  for  losses  of  money,  when 
arising  through  neglect  of  the  precautions  embraced  in 
this  order,  will  not  receive  favorable  action  by  the  Chief 
Signal  Officer  in  the  settlement  of  the  accounts  of 
officers  in  charge. 

155.  Final  settlement  will  not  be  made  with  such 
employees  when  discharged  until  an  opportunity  has 
been  afforded  for  a  careful  examination  of  their  ac- 
counts and  the  officer  in  charge  has  satisfied  himself 
that  they  are  not  indebted  to  the  United  States  on  ac- 
count of  check  errors  or  otherwise. 

156.  Whenever  it  becomes  necessary  for  an  operator 
in  charge  of  an  office  at  a  military  post  to  leave  the 
same  for  the  purpose  of  repairing  the  section  of  the  mili- 
tary telegraph  line  under  his  charge,  or  in  case  of  the 
sickness  of  the  operator  in  charge,  a  civilian  operator 
may  be  temporarily  employed  durfng  the  absence  of  the 
regular  operator,  at  not  exceeding  two  dollars  per  day, 
provided  the  commancling  officer  of  the  post  or  one  of 
his  staff  will  authorize  such  employment  and  certify  on 
the  bill  for  services  of  such  civilian  operator  that  no  en- 
listed man  was  available  and  that  the  services  of  a 
civilian  operator  were  necessary.  In  all  cases  where 
civilian  operators  may  be  so  employed,  the  operator  in 
charge  must  so  report  at  the  earliest  practicable  date, 
through  the  officer  in  charge,  to  the  Chief  Signal  Officer, 
giving  the  facts  and  the  probable  expense  in  each  case. 
If  the  probable  expense  should  exceed  ten  dollars,  au- 
thority to  employ  such  civilian  operators  must  be  re- 
quested of  the  Chief  Signal  Officer  direct  by  telegraph 
(except  in  Cuba,  Porto  Rico,  and  the  Philippine  Islands, 


58  OPERATION  AND   MAINTENANCE  OF 

where  such  authority  will  be  obtained  from  the  officer 
in  charge),  and  his  reply  awaited  before  incurring  any 
expense,  when  telegraphic  communication  is  possible. 
Similar  action  will  be  required  in  other  unavoidable 
absence. 

157.  All  bills  and  vouchers  for  services  and  purchases 
in  connection  with  line  repairs  and  for  salaries  of  ci- 
vilian operators  will  be  forwarded  promptly  upon  the 
completion  of  the  service  or  purchase  to  the  officer  in 
charge,  bearing  upon  the  bills  the  indorsement  of  the 
operator  as  to  their  correctness.  When  the  bills  are  for 
the  services  of  a  civilian  operator  employed  at  a  monthly 
salary,  they  will  be  forwarded  on  the  last  day  of  the 
month  through  the  chief  operator,  who  will  indorse  as 
to  their  correctness.  Chief  operators  will  promptly' 
check  any  extravagant  or  needless  expenditures  coming 
to  their  notice,  which,  if  persisted  in,  will  be  reported 
by  them  to  the  officer  in  charge. 

158.  Bills  for  services  or  supplies  must  invariably  be 
made  in  duplicate  and  bear  on  their  face  the  word  ' '  Cor- 
rect, "  followed  by  the  autographic  signature  of  the  party 
furnishing  the  services  or  supplies,  or  of  the  treasurer 
or  other  officer  authorized  to  receipt  for  money.  The 
words  "Original  "or  "Duplicate''  must  not  be  written 
or  printed  on  the  bills. 

Where  the  same  party  furnished  supplies  and  also 
renders  services,  separate  bills  must  be  rendered. 

Bills  covering  purchases  in  open  market,  or  services 
rendered,  must  bear  upon  their  face  the  certificate  of  an 
officer,  as  follows : 

"Procured  in  open  market  at  the  lowest  obtainable 
rates,  the  amount  involved  being  so  small  as  not  to  war- 
rant the  expense  of  advertising  and  the  opening  of  pro- 
posals, and  the  price  charged  being  reasonable  and  as 
low  as  charged  by  regular  dealers  in  this  locality  to 
private  individuals." 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  59 

159.  Officers  in  charge  will  at  the  close  of  business 
on  Saturday  of  each  week  make  and  forward  to  this 
office  a  weekly  statement  of  public  funds  on  hand,  re- 
porting also  each  deposit  made  during  the  week,  with 
the  number  of  the  certificate  and  name  of  the  deposi- 
tory. A  monthly  statement  of  funds  will  be  rendered 
when  the  last  day  of  the  month  does  not  fall  on  Satur- 
day. A  report  by  letter  will  be  made  at  the  close  of 
business  on  the  fifteenth  and  last  day  of  a  month,  show- 
ing the  amount  of  "other  lines"  funds  on  hand. 

160.  On  the  first  day  of  July  of  each  year,  or  within 
ten  days  thereafter,  each  officer  in  charge  will  render  to 
this  office  a  concise  report  on  the  condition  and  opera- 
tion of  the  telegraph  lines  and  offices  under  his  charge 
for  the  preceding  twelve  months.  This  report  will 
state  what  general  repairs  or  changes  were  made  on 
each  section  during  the  year,  and  what  should  be  done 
during  the  coming  year  to  bring  the  line  up  to  the 
standard  of  efficiency.  The  total  number  of  days  and 
hours  during  which  the  line  was  down  will  be  reported, 
also  whether  any  marked  benefits,  in  a  military  or  other 
public  sense,  were  derived  from  the  operation  of  the  line, 
with  a  brief  statement  of  the  facts  in  each  case.  The 
number  and  kind  of  battery  cells  (main  and  local  sejia- 
rately)  in  actual  use  at  each  station  will  be  stated,  and 
the  number  and  kind  of  serviceable  cells  kept  in  reserve. 

A  tabulated  statement  will  be  made,  showing  the 
amount  of  business  transacted  during  the  year  at  each 
office  in  the  division,  under  the  following  heads : 

Cash  receipts,  "this  line." 

Cash  receipts,  "  other  lines. " 

Value  of  free  messages  sent. 

Number  of  commercial  messages  sent. 

Number  of  commercial  messages  received. 

Number  of  free  messages  sent. 

Number  of  free  messages  received. 

Total  number  of  messages  handled. 


60  OPERATION   AND   MAINTENANCE  OP 

The  several  offices  in  the  division  will  be  called  upon 
in  ample  time  in  advance  for  the  necessary  data  required. 

Operators  who  may  be  in  charge  of  stations  not  under 
the  charge  of  an  officer  will  render  the  above  report  di- 
"rect  to  this  office. 

161.  Signal  officers  in  imm  ediate  command  of  detach  - 
ments  of  enlisted  men  of  the  Signal  Corps  will  render 
at  the  end  of  each  month  a  consolidated  report  contain- 
ing the  names  of  all  Signal  Corps  men  under  his  com- 
mand during  the  month  and  all  data  deemed  necessary 
to  complete  individual  records. 

When  muster  rolls  of  Signal  Corps  men  are  rendered 
to  the  Adjutant  General,  a  copy  will  also  be  sent  to  the 
Chief  Signal  Officer  for  the  information  of  his  office. 

Whenever  an  enlisted  man  of  the  Signal  Corps  dies,  or 
is  discharged  by  any  Signal  Officer,  the  commanding  offi- 
cer will  immediately  inform  the  Chief  Signal  Officer  of 
the  Army  by  telegraph.  In  case  of  discharge,  he  will 
add  whether  discharge  certificate  and  final  statements 
have  been  furnished  the  soldier.  In  the  Philippine 
Islands  this  information  will  be  communicated  by  letter 
to  the  Signal  Officer,  Department  of  California,  at  San 
Francisco,  who  will  telegraph  it  to  this  office. 

162.  Whenever  enlisted  men  of  the  Signal  Corps  are 
returned  to  the  United  States  by  virtue  of  a  furlough, 
sickness,  etc.,  this  office  should  be  notified  at  once,  in 
writing,  and  the  descriptive  list  and  record  card  of  such 
soldier  forwarded  to  the  Chief  Signal  Officer  of  the 
Army.  The  soldier  should  also  be  directed  to  report  his 
post-office  address  to  this  office,  in  order  that  he  may  be 
communicated  with  if  necessary. 

163.  An  official  copy  of  all  serial  orders  issued  by 
officers  in  charge  must  be  forwarded  to  the  Chief  Signal 
Officer,  for  his  information,  on  the  date  of  issue. 

164.  Enlisted  men  of  the  Signal  Corps  stationed  at 
points  away  from  military  posts,  who  receive  quarters 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  61 

and  fuel  in  kind  from  the  Quartermaster's  Department, 
will  report  on  the  twenty  fifth  day  of  each  month  to  the 
chief  quartermaster  of  the  military  department  in  which 
they  are  stationed  the  location  of  the  quarters  they 
occupy,  with  the  name  of  the  person  from  whom  rented, 
and  the  amount  and  kind  of  fuel  furnished,  with  the 
name  of  the  person  from  whom  received,  for  that  month. 

165.  Enlisted  men  of  the  Signal  Corps  not  under  the 
immediate  personal  command  of  a  signal  officer  will 
render  to  the  Chief  Signal  Officer,  on  the  last  day  of  each 
month,  a  personal  report  (Form  212)  showing  the  nature 
of  the  duty  upon  which  they  have  been  engaged  during 
the  month,  their  station,  and  post-office  address. 

When  serving  with  troops,  personal  reports  will  be 
sent  through  the  commanding  officer ;  when  serving  at 
isolated  stations  they  will  be  sent  through  the  officer  in 
charge.  Enlisted  men  of  the  Signal  Corps  on  furlough 
at  the  end  of  the  month  will  send  their  personal  report 
direct  to  the  Chief  Signal  Officer.  When  sick  in  a  hos- 
pital, such  reports  will  be  sent  through  the  surgeon  in 
charge. 

PROPERTY  ACCOUNTABILITY. 

166.  The  following  act  of  Congress  is  published  for 
the  information  of  all  concerned : 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Represent- 
atives of  the  United  States  of  America  in  Congress 
assembled,  That,  from  and  after  the  passage  of  this 
act,  every  officer  of  the  Signal  Corps,  every  noncom- 
missioned officer  or  private  of  the  Signal  Cori^s,  and 
all  other  officers,  agents,  or  persons  who  now  have 
in  possession,  or  may  hereafter  receive  or  may  be  in- 
trusted with  any  stores  or  supplies,  shall,  quarterly,  or 
more  often,  if  so  directed,  and  in  such  manner  and  on 
such  forms  as  may  be  prescribed  by  the  Chief  Signal 
Officer,  make  true  and  correct  returns  to  the  Chief  Sig- 
nal Officer  of  all  S^'gnal  Service  property  and  all  other 
supplies  and  stores  of  every  kind  received  by  or  in- 
trusted to  them  and  each  of  them,  or  which  may,  in  any 


62  OPERATION  AND   MAINTENANCE  OP 

manner,  come  into  their  and  each  of  their  possession  or 
charge.  The  Chief  Signal  Officer,  subject  to  the  ap- 
proval of  the  Secretary  of  War,  is  hereby  authorized 
and  directed  to  draw  up  and  enforce  in  his  Bureau  a 
system  of  rules  and  regulations  for  the  government  of 
the  Signal  Bureau,  and  of  all  persons  in  said  Bureau, 
and  for  the  safe -keeping  and  preservation  of  all  Signal 
Service  property  of  every  kind,  and  to  direct  and  pre- 
scribe the  kind,  number,  and  form  of  all  returns  and 
reports,  and  to  enforce  compliance  therewith. 
Approved  October  12,  1888. 

167.  Every  officer  of  the  Army  and  enlisted  man  of 
the  Signal  Corps,  and  all  other  persons  who  now  have 
in  possesion,  or  who  may  hereafter  receive,  or  may  be 
intrusted  with  any  stores  or  supplies  pertaining  to  the 
Signal  Corps,  are  responsible  therefor,  and  will  be  held 
strictly  accountable  for  all  such  property  for  which  they 
may  have  given  their  receipts. 

168.  Until  otherwise  directed  by  the  Secretary  of 
War,  property  returns  are  to  be  made  on  the  31st  day 
of  December  and  on  the  30th  of  June  of  each  year,  and 
all  returns  for  Signal  Corps  property  begin  and  end  at 
those  times,  except  where,  in  the  cases  of  officers,  en- 
listed men,  or  others  responsible  for  property,  by  reason 
of  transfer,  change  of  station,  or  leaving  the  service,  it 
becomes  necessary  to  close  their  accountability  at  an 
earlier  date.  A  return,  with  all  its  accompanying 
papers,  must  be  forwarded  direct  to  the  office  of  the 
Chief  Signal  Officer,  Washington,  D.  C. ,  within  twenty 
days  after  the  termination  of  the  accounting  period. 

169.  When  any  person  accoimtable  for  Signal  Corps 
property  is  relieved  from  the  charge  of  the  same,  he 
will  turn  over  to  his  successor  all  property  and  stores, 
for  which  he  is  officially  accountable,  and  will  take 
duplicate  receipts  therefor  on  the  forms  furnished  for 
the  purpose,  one  copy  of  which  he  will  inclose  as  a 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  63 

voucher  to  his  final  return  of  property,  and  the  other 
will  be  retained. 

The  final  property  return  will  be  made  out  in  pre- 
cisely the  same  manner  as  the  regular  semiannual 
report. 

170.  The  retained  return,  showing  accountability  for 
property,  pertains  to  the  person  making  it,  and  will  not 
be  considered  a  part  of  the  records  at  the  station  where 
the  officer  or  man  is  serving. 

171.  When  it  is  not  possible  to  render  a  return  within 
the  limits  of  time  prescribed,  owing  to  the  nonreceipt 
of  certain  vouchers,  the  return  itself  must  not  be  held, 
but  will  be  mailed  to  the  Chief  Signal  Officer,  with  a 
letter  stating  what  vouchers  are  missing,  with  reason 
therefor ;  said  missing  vouchers  to  be  forwarded  later, 
when  received. 

172.  The  person  signing  a  receipt  for  Signal  Corps 
property  received  by  him  should  satisfy  himself  that 
the  condition  of  the  articles  is  correctly  stated  thereon ; 
otherwise  he  may  become  accountable  for  unserviceable 
condition  or  shortage  of  component  parts  of  articles 
transferred  to  him.  Receipts  should  be  returned  to  the 
issuing  officer,  if  correct,  within  ten  days  from  the  date 
the  property  was  received. 

173.  Officers  and  others  accountable  must  verify 
returns  by  an  actual  count  of  all  the  articles  on  hand  at 
the  time  the  return  is  made. 

174.  Whenever  any  discrepancy  exists  between  the 
actual  count  of  the  property  and  that  as  shown  by  the 
returns,  such  action  will  be  taken  as  is  enjoined  by 
Army  Regulations. 

176.  Enlisted  men  of  the  Signal  Corps  at  military 
posts  becoming  responsible  for  public  property  under 
provisions  of  act  of  Congress  (Pub.  311)  approved  Octo- 
ber 12,  1888,  shall,  when  stores  or  supplies  shipped  to 


64  OPERATION  AND   MAINTENANCE  OF 

them  are  received  in  unserviceable  condition,  or  when 
deficient  in  number  and  quality,  examine  them  in  such 
manner  as  is  prescribed  in  paragraphs  668  and  669,  Army 
Regulations.  In  case  of  damage  or  deficiency  appear- 
ing, they  will  then  apply  in  writing  to  their  immediate 
commanding  of&cer  for  a  board  of  survey  to  determine 
the  responsibility  for  injury  or  loss  occurring.  The 
application  should  recite  that,  having  received,  or  being 
accountable  for  (as  the  case  may  be),  public  property 
under  the  provisions  of  the  act  of  Congress  above  guoted, 
application  is  made  under  paragraph  684,  Army  Regula- 
tions, in  order  to  determine  whether  such  public  property 
has  been  lost  or  damaged  by  the  neglect  or  fault  of  the 
soldier  thus  applying. 

176.  Enlisted  men  of  the  Signal  Corps  serving  alone 
at  isolated  stations  will,  under  similar  circumstances, 
make  immediate  report  in  detail  of  the  facts  to  their 
immediate  commanding  officers  and  ask  that  appropriate 
action  may  be  taken. 

177.  All  property  transferred  from  one  officer  or 
enlisted  man  of  the  Signal  Corps  to  another  will  be 
invoiced,  the  invoices,  in  duplicate,  to  be  filed  by  the 
person  to  whom  sent  with  the  copies  of  his  return,  the 
corresponding  receipts,  in  duplicate,  to  be  filed  with  the 
returns  of  the  person  issuing  the  property.  In  case  of 
shipments  through  the  Quartermaster's  Department, 
the  invoices  will  be  made  in  triplicate,  one  copy  to  be 
sent  by  mail  direct  to  the  officer  or  enlisted  man  to 
whom  the  property  has  been  transferred,  and  two  copies 
to  be  delivered. to  the  quartermaster,  one  of  which  will 
accompany  the  bill  of  lading  to  destination.  Receipts 
in  duplicate  for  the  package  will  be  taken  from  the 
quartermaster. 

178.  Every  officer,  enlisted  man  of  the  Signal  Corps, 
and  all  other  persons  responsible  for  Signal  Corps  prop- 
erty shall,  when  shipping  the  same,  have  plainly  marked 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  65 

on  each  package:  "From "  (name  of  person  re- 
sponsible). 

Officers  asking  boards  of  survey  will  be  expected  to 
show  by  evidence  that  this  necessary  provision  for  the 
security  of  public  property  has  been  complied  with. 

179.  All  articles  purchased  upon  proper  authority  by 
any  officer,  enlisted  man  of  the  Signal  Corps,  or  other 
employee  on  stations  outside  of  Washington,  D.  C,  for 
official  use,  will  be  regularly  invoiced  to  the  person  pur- 
chasing, upon  receipt,  at  the  office  of  the  Chief  Signal 
Officer  or  department  signal  officer  charged  with  the 
disbursement  of  Signal  Corps  funds,  of  the  proper 
certified  bill,  which  must  accompany  the  account  for 
settlement. 

180.  All  property  received  must  be  taken  up  on  the 
returns,  whether  invoiced  or  not,  except  forms  and  sta- 
tionery. Should  any  article  of  property  be  received, 
either  by  purchase  or  otherwise,  and  not  included  in 
invoices,  special  attention  should  be  called  to  said  fact 
by  letter ;  the  articles  should  be  taken  up  and  a  footnote 
made  showing  that  they  were  taken  up  without  invoices. 
It  may  happen  in  some  cases  that  invoices  of  articles 
sent  are  received,  while  the  articles  themselves  may  not 
have  been  received.  In  such  a  case  the  articles  should 
not  be  taken  up  until  they  are  actually  received ;  other- 
wise the  person  doing  so  will  make  himself  responsible 
for  such  articles,  while  they  may  never  reach  him. 

181.  A  special  report  by  letter  should  be  made  of  all 
articles  not  received  within  a  reasonable  time  after  the 
person  to  whom  sent  is  notified  of  their  shipment. 

182.  When  any  article  of  public  property  not  of  an 
expendable  nature,  for  which  any  officer  or  other  person 
is  responsible,  becomes  unfit  for  service  from  any  cause 
whatever  and  is  not  worth  expense  of  repair,  he  will 

2218 5 


66  OPERATION  AND   MAINTENANCE  OF 

report  the  facts  in  the  case  and  submit  the  articles  for 
action  to  the  inspector  first  visiting  the  station,  except- 
ing telescopes,  field  glasses,  heliographs,  and  telephones 
(see  par.  1546,  Army  Regulations).  A  copy  of  the  in- 
ventory and  inspection  report  must  accompany  the 
return  rendered  to  the  Chief  Signal  Officer  on  which 
the  property  is  accounted  for. 

183.  When  it  is  found  that  any  article  of  Signal  Corps 
property  is  unserviceable,  but  worth  the  expense  of 
repair,  a  detailed  report  will  be  made  of  the  nature  of 
the  unserviceability  of  the  article,  with  an  estimate 
of  the  cost  of  repair,  and  whether  or  not  said  repairs 
can  be  made  at  or  near  the  station  or  post. 

184.  When  an  inspector  recommends  that  certain  ar- 
ticles of  Signal  Corps  property  be  turned  into  a  depot 
for  repairs,  the  accountable  officer  will  report  such  fact 
to  the  department  signal  officer  and  await  instructions 
as  to  the  disposition  of  the  same. 

185.  All  public  property  of  every  description  ordered 
to  be  returned  to  the  office  of  the  Chief  Signal  Officer 
must  be  plainly  marked  on  the  package  with  the  name 
of  the  station  whence  it  comes,  the  weight  of  the  pack- 
age, if  known,  and  the  nature  of  the  contents.  The 
packages  must  be  addressed  to  the  ' '  Chief  Signal  Officer, 
care  depot  quartermaster,  Washington,  D.  C,"  when 
sent  by  quartermaster  transportation;  otherwise  they 
will  be  marked  simply  "Chief  Signal  Officer,  Washing- 
ton. D.  C." 

186.  When  a  station  is  discontinued,  the  disposition 
of  the  property,  other  than  that  for  which  a  signal  officer 
is  responsible,  will  be  ordered  from  the  office  of  the 
Chief  Signal  Officer  or  department  signal  officer,  and, 
in  any  event,  the  officer  or  other  person  in  charge  will 
be  held  responsible  that  each  article  is  properly  disposed 
of  as  ordered. 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  67 

187.  Whenever  property  is  ordered  shipped  through 
the  Quartermaster's  Department,  it  should  be  properly 
packed,  without  expense,  if  possible. 

188.  In  no  case  will  any  unexpendable  article  of 
public  property  be  thrown  away  on  account  of  its  be- 
coming unserviceable,  but  it  ^vill  be  held  until  orders 
are  received  from  the  proper  authority  concerning  its 
disposition. 

189.  In  all  cases,  in  making  up  returns,  the  headings 
should  never  be  altered  or  changed,  but  when  articles 
other  than  those  enumerated  in  the  printed  headings 
are  at  the  station  they  should  be  alphabetically  inserted 
in  the  blank  lines  for  that  purpose  on  the  return. 

Where  it  is  not  practicable  to  insert  the  names  alpha- 
betically they  will  be  so  arranged  in  the  blank  space  at 
the  end  of  the  return. 

190.  All  articles  received  must  be  accounted  for  on 
returns  identically  as  invoiced,  and  the  nomenclature 
^vill  not  be  changed  without  specific  authority  of  the 
Chief  Signal  Officer. 

191.  Articles  of  like  name  but  of  diiferent  pattern 
when  invoiced  separately  will  not  be  combined ;  thus, 
20-ohm,  4-ohm,  and  main-line  sounders  must  not  be 
carried  as  so  many  "  sounders, "  but  the  total  of  each 
will  be  carried  under  its  appropriate  heading. 

192.  The  official  numbers  of  field  glasses,  telescopes, 
telephones  and  transmitters,  and  other  instruments  hav- 
ing serial  numbers  must  in  all  cases  be  given  on  the 
return. 

193.  Where  there  is  a  local  telegraph  or  telephone 
line  at  the  post,  its  length  in  miles  or  feet  must  be  given 
on  the  return  under  the  heading  ' '  Line ; "  otherwise  tele- 
graph material  or  supplies  will  not  be  furnished,  or 
certificate  of  expenditure  dropping  such  supplies  as  used 
will  not  be  accepted;  on  the  assumption  that  there  is  no 
line  at  the  post. 


68  OPERATION   AND   MAINTENANCE  OF 

194.  Rented  telephones  and  transmitters  will  be  car- 
ried on  property  returns  in  red  ink,  in  order  to  distinguish 
them  from  those  which  are  owned  by  the  Government.^ 

195.  Enlisted  men  of  the  Signal  Corps  serving  at 
military  posts  before  forwarding  their  property  returns 
will  have  certificate  of  expenditure  approved  by  post 
commander;  those  not  on  duty  at  military  posts  and 
accountable  for  property  will  forward  the  certificate  to 
the  department  signal  officer  for  approval  in  season,  so 
that  it  can  be  returned  in  time  to  be  included  mth  his 
return  when  rendered. 

196.  An  officer  or  other  person  whom  a  board  of  sur- 
vey or  other  competent  authority  has  adjudged  respon- 
sible for  the  loss,  destruction,  or  shortage  of  any  article 
or  parts  of  articles  of  Signal  Corps  property  will  be 
required  to  cover  the  money  value  thereof  into  the 
United  States  Treasury  before  a  clearance  will  be  fur- 
nished. This  may  be  done  either  by  forwarding  the 
money  to  the  disbursing  officer  of  the  Signal  Corps, 
Washington,  D.  C  ,  who  will  deposit  the  money  on 
account  of  the  responsible  officer,  or  the  money  may  be 
deposited  in  some  Government  depository  to  the  credit 

of  "Miscellaneous  receipts,  refundment  for (lost) 

property.  Signal  Service  of  the  Army,  189 — "  (giv- 
ing year  in  which  the  fiscal  year  ends ) .  In  the  latter  case 
an  account  current  must  be  rendered  to  this  office  for 
examination  and  transmission  to  the  accounting  officers 
of  the  Treasury  Department. 

197.  When  Signal  Corps  property  is  condemned  and 
ordered  sold,  due  notice  of  the  sale  will  be  given  (A. 
R. ,  505)  and  the  proceeds  \yill  be  accounted  for  in  the 
manner  prescribed  in  A.  R.,  615.  The  accountable 
officer  will  then  render  to  the  Chief  Signal  Officer  an 
account  current  covering  the  transaction,  inclosing 
therewith  as  vouchers  copies  of  the  advertisement  and 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  69 

authority  for  the  sale,  with  notation  of  the  disposition 
made  of  the  proceeds. 

198.  To  save  time  and  space,  a  few  articles  of  Signal 
Corps  property  are  involved  as  "complete."  Officers, 
enlisted  men  of  the  Signal  Corps,  and  other  persons 
receiving  such  articles  should  satisfy  themselves  that 
all  the  parts  which  go  to  make  up  the  whole  are  pres- 
ent before  signing  receipt  therefor.  When  any  parts 
are  missing,  a  memorandum  should  be  made  on  the 
receipt  specifically  designating  such  parts  as  are  miss- 
ing. The  accountable  officer  will  then  be  held  respon- 
sible for  the  shortage. 

199.  The  following  are  the  principal  articles  which 
are  invoiced  as  ' '  complete :" 

Boxes,  call,  complete,  consist  of  the  magneto  call-bell 
apparatus,  and  (except  the  old  style)  are  attached  to  a 
backboard  with  battery  box  containing  one  or  more 
cells  of  battery. 

Cells,  battery,  complete,  consist  of  the  glass  or  lead 
jar,  with  zinc,  copper,  or  carbon  elements. 

Jars,  battery,  which  are  merely  the  glass  or  lead  jar, 
without  copper,  zinc,  or  carbon  elements,  should  not 
be  confounded  with  "cells"  battery. 

Heliographs,  field,  complete,  consist  of  a  sole-leather 
•pouch,  containing  one  sun  mirror  and  one  station  mir- 
ror, inclosed  in  a  wooden  box ;  one  screen ;  one  sighting 
rod;  one  screw-driver.  A  smaller  pouch  sliding  by 
two  loops  upon  the  strap  of  the  larger,  containing  one 
mirror  bar.     A  skeleton  case,  containing  two  tripods. 

Pulleys  and  tackle,  complete,  consist  of  two  pulleys, 
each  with  a  vice  or  some  form  of  clamping  device  for 
grasping  the  wire,  and  about  60  feet  of  rope. 

Staffs,  jointed,  complete,  consist  of  three  joints  of 
staff — i.  e.,  tip,  middle,  and  butt  joints. 

Staffs,  practice  kit,  consist  of  two  joints  of  staffs— 
i.  e.,  tip  and  butt  joints. 


70 


OPERATION  AND   MAINTENANCE  OP 


Vises  and  straps,  complete,  consist  of  a  small  hand 
vise  and  one  leather  strap. 

200.  Signal  Corps  property  is  arranged  into  two 
general  divisions,  viz,  that  of  an  "  unexpendable " - 
character,  such  as  instruments,  tools,  etc.,  and  that  of 
an  "expendable"  nature,  such  as  bluestone,  coppers, 
zincs,  etc.  The  term  "expendable,"  as  applied  to  prop- 
erty, signifies  that  the  property  so  designated  is  of  a 
character  to  be  actually  consumed. 

201.  The  following  list  comprises  articles  of  Signal 
Corps  property  which,  when  received,  must  be  accounted 
for  on  property  returns,  but  when  consumed  or  rendered 
unserviceable,  may  be  dropped  on  proper  certificate  of 
expenditure  (Form  No.  205),  without  the  formality  of 
submitting  them  to  the  action  of  an  inspector : 

Binders,  Conant.  Compound,  Chatterton. 

Bluestone  (sulphate  of    Connectors,  battery. 


copper). 
Boards,  letter-clip. 
Books,  office,  record. 
Books,  tariff. 
Bowls,  dampening. 
Boxes,  battery. 
Brackets,  insulator. 
Brooms. 

Brushes,  assorted. 
Buttons,  push. 
Cable,  conductor. 
Calendars. 
Cans,  assorted,  tin. 
Cells,  battery. 
Chamois  skins. 
Chemicals,  photographic. 
Chimneys,  lamp. 
Coal. 


Coppers,  battery. 

Cords,  telephone. 

Cross  arms,  wood  or  iron. 

Cups,  tin. 

Cups,  sponge. 

Disks,  cipher. 

Dusters,  feather. 

Erasers,  steel. 

Files,  machinist's. 

Files,  paper  or  office. 

Films,  photographic. 

Flags. 

Folders,  paper. 

Foot  rests. 

Glasses,  eye,  and  case. 

Goblets  or  tumblers. 

Hooks,  message. 

Inkstands. 


I 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES. 


71 


Insulators,  glass. 

Insulators,  porcelain. 

Jars,  battery. 

Lances. 

Lights,  Coston. 

Mercury. 

Mirrors  for  heliographs. 

Mucilage  cups. 

Nails. 

Needles. 

Oil. 

Pads,  ink. 

Paper. 

Paper,  photographic. 

Pens,  ruling. 

Pins. 

Plates,  ground. 

Plates,  photographic. 

Plugs,  insulator. 

Pokers. 

Poles,  telegraph. 

Polish,  stove. 

Posts,  binding. 

Racks,  pen. 

Ribbon,  typewriter. 

Rope. 

Rulers. 

Sal  ammoniac. 

202.  Certificates  of  expenditure  will  only  be  accepted 
as  proper  vouchers  when  the  articles  given  in  the  list  of 
expendable  have  actually  been  consumed  or  have 
become  entirely  imserviceable. 

203.  Battery  cells  and  jars;  connectors,  battery; 
push  buttons,  etc. ,  when  taken  from  reserve  and  placed 
in  a  circuit  are  not  considered  as  expended,  as  they  are 


Screws,  assorted. 

Separators,  rubber. 

Shades,  gas  or  lamp. 

Sheets,  copying. 

Signs,  office. 

Soap. 

Solder. 

Spikes. 

Stamps,  postage. 

Stationery. 

Stovepipe,  joints  of. 

Straps,  for  climbers  and 

vises. 
Straps,  large,  small,  and 

hitching. 
Styli. 

Syringes,  battery. 
Tacks. 

Tape,  rubber. 
Tin. 
Towels. 

Tubing,  rubber. 
Turpentine. 
Vessels  or  dishes,  earthen, 

wood  ware,  and  tin. 
Wire. 
Zincs,  battery. 


72  OPERATION  AND    MAINTENANCE  OF 

then  merely  performing  the  purpose  for  which  they 
were  furnished,  and  they  will  not  be  dropped  from 
returns  unless  broken  or  absolutely  unserviceable. 

204.  Poles,  wire,  insulators,  and  other  telegraph-line 
material  when  used  in  the  construction  of  a  line  may 
be  dropped,  but  such  line  must  in  all  cases  appear  on 
the  return  in  miles  and  fractions,  or  in  feet  (see  par. 
193) .  "When  the  line  is  shortened  or  taken  down  the 
material  recovered  must  be  again  taken  up  and 
accounted  for. 

205.  Articles  (whether  expendable  or  unexpendable) 
lost  or  stolen  must  not  be  entered  on  certificate  of 
expenditure,  but  should  be  covered  by  a  special  certifi- 
cate (Form  206)  setting  forth  the  facts  in  the  case,  and 
when  the  aggregate  money  value  of  the  articles  lost  or 
stolen  exceeds  five  dollars  must  be  submitted  for  the 
action  of  a  board  of  survey. 

206.  Station  record  books,  such  as  letters  sent,  copy- 
ing, check  ledgers,  etc. ,  as  soon  as  they  are  opened  and 
put  to  use,  can  be  dropped  from  property  returns  on 
certificate  of  expenditure  as  ' '  used  in  service. " 

207.  Iron  poles  not  actually  in  use  on  the  lines  will 
be  accounted  for  by  the  officer  in  charge  when  the  poles 
are  at  his  station;  otherwise,  by  the  enlisted  men  or 
civilian  operators  in  charge  of  the  repair  sections. 

Whenever  one  of  these  poles  is  placed  upon  the  line 
it  will  be  dropped  on  the  next  certificate  of  expendi- 
ture. When  a  line  is  abandoned  and  an  officer  is 
directed  to  recover  the  poles  on  such  line  he  will  take 
up  and  account  for  the  number  actually  recovered. 

208.  Where  errors  are  found  during  the  examination 
of  property  returns  at  the  office  of  the  Chief  Signal 
Officer,  the  accountable  officer  will  be  immediatelj^ 
notified  thereof,  and,  where  practicable,  subsequent 
correspondence  will  be  by  indorsement  on  the  original 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH   LINES.  T3 

communication.  In  connection  with  discrepancies, 
corrected  returns  will  not  be  rendered  unless  specially 
called  for,  as  a  corrected  return  necessitates  the  reex- 
amination and  checking  of  each  item  on  the  new  return. 

209.  Upon  receipt  of  a  letter  of  notification  of  errors 
action  should  be  taken  thereon  at  once,  as  owing  to  fre- 
quent transfers  of  accountability,  especially  with  post 
signal  officers,  a  lapse  of  time  often  entails  considerable 
correspondeYice  and  difficulty  in  adjusting  discrepancies 
which  at  the  time  may  be  easily  corrected. 

210.  When  an  officer,  enlisted  man,  or  other  em- 
ployee having  Signal  Corps  property  in  his  possession, 
or  being  accountable  therefor,  leaves  the  service  of  the 
United  States,  final  payment  will  not  be  made  to  such 
officer,  enlisted  man,  or  other  employee  until  full  and 
satisfactory  evidence  is  furnished  that  the  property 
with  which  he  may  have  been  intrusted  has  been  duly 
accounted  for. 

211.  Officers  of  the  Army  detailed  for  duty  at  mili- 
tary colleges  who  are  accountable  for  Signal  Corps 
property  that  has  become  unserviceable  are  authorized 
to  submit  'the  same  for  the  action  of  an  inspector,  as 
provided  for  in  pars.  879  and  1546,  A.  R. 

212.  In  order  to  reduce  to  a  minimum  the  clerical 
work  at  the  office  of  the  Chief  Signal  Officer  incident  to 
the  examination  of  property  returns,  the  post  signal 
officer  shall  be  accountable  for  all  Signal  Corps  property 
at  a  military  post  or  station.  Should  another  officer 
desire  to  retain  certain  articles  of  Signal  Corps  property 
for  official  use,  he  may  be  authorized  to  obtain  them 
from  the  signal  officer  on  memorandum  receipt.  These 
instructions,  however,  do  not  apply  to  department  sig- 
nal officers  or  to  enlisted  men  of  the  Signal  Corps  on 
duty  at  stations  where  there  is  a  military  telegraph 
office. 


74  OPERATION  AND   MAINTENANCE  OF 

213.  Enlisted  men  of  the  Signal  Corps  are  expected 
to  perform  all  duties  in  connection  with  the  transmis- 
sion of  military  information  for  the  use  of  the  Army. 
At  military  posts  it  is  discretionary  with  post  command- 
ers to  require  them  to  assist  the  post  signal  officers  in 
the  matter  of  signal  instruction,  care  of  Signal  Corps 
property,  etc. ,  as  the  former  may  deem  the  public  in- 
terests or  special  conditions  require. 

GENERAL  INSTRUCTIONS. 

214.  In  answering  any  communication  from  the  Chief 
Signal  Officer,  reference  will  always  be  made  at  the 
beginning  of  the  letter  to  the  Signal  Office  serial  num- 
ber or  mark  (which  will  be  found  at  the  upper  left-hand 
corner  of  the  sheet)  as  well  as  the  date  of  said  letter. 
For  example :  "Replying  to  your  letter  of  February  12, 
1897,  No.  5212." 

215.  Communications,  forms,  and  other  official  papers 
forwarded  to  the  office  of  the  Chief  Signal  Officer  must 
have  the  brief  fold  properly  jfilled  up. 

216.  Enlisted  men  of  the  Signal  Corps  or  civilian 
employees  serving  under  an  officer  in  charge  will  for- 
ward all  communications  to  higher  authority  through 
him,  except  where  otherwise  directed. 

Official  communications  from  operators  on  duty  at 
military  posts  will  be  forwarded  through  the  post  com- 
mander only  when  they  specifically  relate  to  that  officer, 
or  to  matters  concerning  the  administration  of  the  post, 
or  to  any  officer  or  enlisted  man  on  duty  thereat. 

In  forwarding  any  communication  or  report  to  the 
Chief  Signal  Officer  of  the  Army,  officers  in  charge 
will  invariably  indorse  thereon  their  recommendations 
or  remarks. 

217.  Official  communications  to  the  Chief  Signal 
Officer  will  not  be  addressed  to  the  Chief  Signal  Officer 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  75 

by  name,  or  to  subordinates  in  his  office,  but  will  be 
addressed  simply:  "Chief  Signal  Officer,  U.  S.  Army, 
Washington,  D.  C." 

Official  communication  to  the  signal  officers  of  depart- 
ments and  to  officers  in  charge  of  lines  will  be  ad- 
dressed:   "Signal  Officer,   Department  of  ,"  or 

"Officer  in  charge  of  military  telegraph  line ," 

as  the  case  may  be. 

218.  Letters  of  transmittal  are  not  required  in  for- 
warding property  or  other  returns,  unless  there  is  some 
particular  fact  relative  to  the  papers  to  which  it  is  de- 
sired to  specially  invite  attention. 

219.  Requisitions  for  Signal  Corps  stores  and  sup- 
plies must  be  forwarded  through  military  channels  to 
the  Department  Signal  Officer  for  transmission  to  the 
Chief  Signal  Officer  of  the  Army. 

220.  In  making  estimate  for  Signal  Corps  stores  and 
supplies,  the  first  four  columns  of  Forms  209a  and  209b 
will  invariably  be  filled  in. 

221.  Oil  required  for  signaling  purposes  is  not  fur- 
nished by  the  Signal  Corps,  but  is  obtained  on  requisi- 
tion from  the  post  quartermaster. 

222.  Practice  kits  are  not  as  a  rule  issued  to  post 
signal  officers,  but  only  to  officers  detailed  for  duty  at 
military  colleges.  A  practice  kit  consists  of  one  can- 
vas case  holding  two  joints  of  staff,  and  one  2-foot  red 
and  one  2-foot  white  flag,  each  item  being  carried  sep- 
arately on  returns. 

223.  All  transmitters  and  receivers  furnished  by  the 
American  Bell  Telephone  Company  to  this  service  are 
their  property,  and  are  held  by  the  Signal  Corps  under 
life  rental  upon  the  following  conditions : 

' '  For  use  of  the  United  States  Signal  Service  only, 
and  not  to  be  used  in  connection  with  lines,  instru- 
ments, or  service  of  other  parties. " 


76  OPERATION   AND    MAINTENANCE  OF 

From  the  above  it  will  be  seen  that  such  instruments 
must  not  be  used  in  connection  with  commercial  tele- 
phone exchanges,  or  in  any  manner  switched  onto  lines 
not  distinctly  Government  lines. 

224.  Telephones  provided  by  the  Signal  Corps  are 
primarily  for  use  on  rifle  and  artillery  ranges;  but 
when  not  in  use  on  said  ranges  they  can  be  utilized  for 
other  post  purposes. 

225.  Instruments,  and  all  articles  of  value,  sent 
through  the  mails  must  be  registered.  Postage  stamps 
for  this  purpose  will  be  furnished  by  the  Quartermas- 
ter's Department. 

226.  The  act  of  Congress  approved  June  8,  1896, 
limits  the  weight  of  all  mail  packages  to  4  pounds. 
When  articles  are  ordered  transferred  from  one  station 
to  another,  or  to  this  office,  by  mail,  care  must  be  ex- 
ercised to  see  that  the  packages  do  not  exceed  this 
weight.  Where  this  weight  would  be  exceeded  in  one 
package,  and  it  is  possible  to  divide  the  articles,  two  or 
more  packages  must  be  made. 

BICYCLES. 

227.  The  attention  of  enlisted  men  of  the  Signal  Corps, 
and  other  persons  having  Signal  Corps  bicycles  in  their 
possession,  is  invited  to  the  following  instructions : 

Persons  accountable  for  bicycles  will  be  held  to  a 
strict  accountability  for  the  condition  in  which  they 
are  kept,  as  upon  the  care  which  any  machine  receives 
largely  depends  the  satisfaction  and  duration  of  its 
service. 

After  use,  the  bicycle  should  be  carefully  wiped  to 
remove  all  dirt,  care  being  taken  that  it  does  not  work 
into  the  bearings.  Particular  attention  should  be  given 
to  the  chain,  and  no  attemiDt  should  be  made  to  use  the 
machine  when  the  chain  or  the  sprocket  wheels  are 
clogged  with  dirt  or  grit. 


U.  S.  MILITARY   TELEGRAPH   LINES.  77 

In  no  case  should  mud  be  allowed  to  remain  on  a  tire, 
as  in  drying  it  contracts  and  cracks  the  rubber. 

Under  no  circumstances  should  a  bicycle  be  left  ex- 
posed to  the  weather  when  not  in  use,  nor  should  a 
machine  be  put  away  in  a  wet  condition. 

The  luster  of  all  parts,  whether  nickeled,  enameled, 
or  plain  steel,  is  most  easily  kept  up  by  carefully  rub- 
bing with  a  dry  cloth  or  chamois  skin. 

Oil  should  not  be  allowed  to  remain  on  the  exterior 
part  of  the  machine,  as  it  is  an  enemy  to  either  nickel, 
enamel,  or  rubber,  and  when  found  running  from  an 
overflowed  bearing  should  be  removed  at  once. 

At  least  twice  a  year  thoroughly  clean  the  bearings, 
removing  the  shaft  and  cones  and  the  bearings  of  both 
wheels  and  washing  all  parts  in  kerosene  oil.  A  tem- 
porary cleaning  of  the  bearings  may  be  made  by  placing 
the  machine  on  its  side  and  injecting  kerosene  oil,  ben- 
zine, or  gasoline  into  the  bearings  and  allow  it  to  run 
out  beneath,  at  the  same  time  revolving  the  wheel  or 
crank  shaft. 

For  oiling  use  a  good  quality  of  lubricating  oil.  Do 
not  use  kerosene  for  a  lubricant,  as  it  rapidly  evaporates, 
leaving  the  parts  dry.  Oil  should  be  used  very  spar- 
ingly, a  few  drops  being  sufficient. 

A  broken  ball  in  a  bearing  should  be  removed  at 
once.  It  is  usually  detected  by  a  harsh,  grating  sound. 
Failure  to  do  this  will  result  in  damaged  cases,  cones, 
and  balls. 

Vaseline  and  graphite  have  been  used  to  good  advan- 
tage as  a  lubricant  for  the  chain,  but  a  regular  chain 
lubricant  will  be  furnished  on  requisition. 

Repair  kits  are  furnished  with  each  bicycle,  and 
must  at  all  times  be  kept  complete,  timely  requisition 
being  made  for  such  items  as  have  been  used. 

Bicycles,  when  unserviceable,  will  not  be  submitted 
for  the  action  of  an  inspector  without  express  authority 
from  the  Chief  Signal  Officer. 


78  OPERATION   AND    MAINTENANCE   OF 

BATTERY 

228.  Directions  for  putting  up  the  Callaud  or  gravity 
battery :  Unfold  the  copper  strip  so  as  to  form  a  cross 
and  place  it  in  the  bottom  of  the  jar,  allowing  the  cov- 
ered wire  to  project  over  the  top.  Suspend  the  zinc 
about  four  inches  above  the  copper  from  the  tripod, 
which  has  a  hole  to  receive  the  wire  from  the  copper  of 
the  next  cup.  (The  "crow-foot"  zinc  is  provided  with 
a  shank  terminating  in  a  hook,  by  means  of  which  it  is 
suspended  on  the  edge  of  the  jar.  There  is  a  screw  on 
the  zinc  for  the  purpose  of  attaching  wire. )  Pour  clean 
water  into  the  jar  so  as  to  cover  the  zinc ;  then  drop 
in  enough  blue  vitriol  (sulphate  of  copper),  in  small 
lumps,  to  nearly  cover  the  top  of  the  copper. 

The  full  strength  of  the  battery  may  be  developed  at 
once  by  drawing  about  half  a  pint  per  cell  of  the  zinc 
solution  from  a  battery  already  in  use,  or  by  putting 
into  the  liquid  four  or  five  ounces  of  pulverized  sulphate 
of  zinc. 

WIRE. 

229.  The  wire  to  be  soft  and  pliable,  and  capable  of 
elongating  15  per  cent  without  breaking,  after  being 
galvanized. 

Great  tensile  strength  is  not  required,  but  the  wire 
must  not  break  under  a  less  strain  than  two  and  one-half 
times  its  weight  in  pounds  per  mile.  Tests  for  tensile 
strength  will  be  made  by  direct  appliance  of  weight  or 
by  means  of  a  single  lever,  at  the  option  of  the  inspect- 
ing officer. 

Tests  for  ductility  will  be  made  as  follows :  The  piece 
of  wire  will  be  gripped  by  two  vises  six  inches  apart 
and  twisted.  The  full  number  of  twists  must  be  dis- 
tinctly visible  between  the  vises  on  the  6-inch  piece. 
The  number  of  twists  in  a  piece  6  inches  in  length  not 
to  be  under  seventeen. 


I 


V.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH   LINES.  79 

The  wire  to  be  cylindrical  and  free  from  scales,  in- 
equalities, flaws,  sand  splits,  and  all  other  imperfections 
and  defects.  Each  coil  must  be  warranted  not  to  con- 
tain a  weld,  joint,  or  eplice  whatever  in  the  rod  before 
drawm;  and  all  wire  to  be  "killed,"  or  stretched  about 
two  per  cent,  before  delivery. 

It  is  desired  to  obtain  the  wire  in  one-mile  coils  all  of 
one  piece,  but  the  contractor  may  tender  vdre  with  two 
pieces  only  to  the  coil,  joined  by  the  ordinary  twist  joint 
carefully  soldered.  It  should  be  stated  in  the  tender 
whether  there  will  be  one  or  two  pieces  in  each  coil. 

The  wire  will  be  well  galvanized,  and  capable  of  stand- 
ing the  following  test :  The  wire  vnll  be  plunged  into  a 
saturated  solution  of  sulphate  of  copper  and  permitted 
to  remain  one  minute,  and  then  wiped  clean.  This  proc- 
ess will  be  performed  four  times.  If  the  wire  appears 
black  after  the  fourth  immersion,  it  shows  that  the  zinc 
has  not  all  been  removed,  and  that  the  galvanizing  is 
well  done ;  but  if  it  has  a  copper  color  the  iron  is  ex- 
posed, showing  that  the  zinc  is  too  thin. 

For  "So,  9  Blrmiughani  Wire  Gaugre. 

The  weight  per  mile  to  be  320  pounds,  or  as  near  these 
figures  as  practicable. 

The  electrical  resistance  of  the  wire  in  ohms  per  mile, 
at  a  temperature  of  68°  Fahrenheit,  must  not  exceed  the 
quotient  arising  from  dividing  the  constant  number 
5,100  by  the  weight  of  the  wire  in  pounds  per  mile. 
The  mileage  resistance  of  a  wire  weighing  320  pounds 
per  mile  (No.  9)  should  not  exceed  5,100  -f-  320  =  15.94 
ohms.  The  coefficient  .0033  will  be  allowed  for  each 
degree  Fahrenheit  in  reducing  to  standard  temi)erature. 

No.  14  Birmingham  wire  gauge  is  the  same  as  No.  12 
American  wire  gauge,  and  No.  9  Birmingham  wire  gauge 
is  the  same  as  No.  7  American  wire  gauge  (to  within 
.003  of  an  inch.) 


80  OPERATION  AND    MAINTENANCE  OF 


TELEGRAPH  LINES. 

230.  The  following  acts  of  Congress  are  published  for 
the  information  and  government  of  all  concerned; 

AN  ACT  to  aid  in  the  construction  of  telegraph  lines,  and  to  secure  to 
the  Government  the  use  of  the  same  for  postal,  military,  and  other  pur- 
poses. 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representa- 
tives of  the  United  States  of  America  in  Congress  assem- 
bled, That  any  telegraph  company  now  organized,  or 
which  may  hereafter  be  organized,  under  the  laws  of 
any  State  in  this  Union  shall  have  the  right  to  construct, 
maintain,  and  operate  lines  of  telegraph  through  and 
over  any  portion  of  the  public  domain  of  the  United 
States,  over  and  along  any  of  the  military  or  post  roads 
of  the  United  States  which  have  been  or  may  hereafter 
be  declared  such  by  act  of  Congress,  and  over,  under, 
or  across  the  navigable  streams  or  waters  of  the  United 
States :  Provided,  That  such  lines  of  telegraph  shall  be 
so  constructed  and  maintained  as  not  to  obstruct  the 
navigation  of  such  streams  and  waters  or  interfere  with 
the  ordinary  travel  on  such  military  or  post  roads.  And 
any  of  said  companies  shall  have  the  right  to  take  and 
use  from  such  public  lands  the  necessary  stone,  timber, 
and  other  materials  for  its  posts,  piers,  stations,  and 
other  needful  uses  in  the  construction,  maintenance, 
and  operation  of  said  lines  of  telegraph,  and  may  pre- 
empt and  use  such  portion  of  the  unoccupied  public 
lands  subject  to  preemption  through  which  its  said  lines 
of  telegraph  may  be  located  as  may  be  necessary  for  its 
stations,  not  exceeding  forty  acres  for  each  station ;  but 
such  stations  shall  not  be  within  fifteen  miles  of  each. 

Sec.  2.  And  be  it  further  enacted.  That  telegraphic 
communication  between  the  several  Departments  of  the 
Government  of  the  United  States  and  their  officers  and 
agents  shall,  in  their  transmission  over  the  lines  of  said 
companies,  have  priority  over  all  other  business,  and 
shall  be  sent  at  rates  to  be  annually  fixed  by  the  Post- 
master General. 

Sec.  3.  And  be  it  further  enacted.  That  the  rights  and 
privileges  hereby  granted  shall  not  be  transferred  by 
any  company  acting  under  this  act  to  any  other  corpo- 
ration, association,  or  person :  Provided,  hoivever,  That 
the  United  States  may  at  any  time  after  the  expiration 
of  five  years  from  the  date  of  the  passage  of  this  act, 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  81 

for  postal,  military,  or  other  purposes,  purchase  all  the 
telegraph  lines,  property,  and  effects  of  any  or  all  of 
said  companies,  at  an  appraised  value,  to  be  ascertained 
by  five  competent,  disinterested  persons,  two  of  whom 
shall  be  selected  by  the  Postmaster  General  of  the  United 
States,  two  by  the  company  interested,  and  one  by  the 
four  so  previously  selected. 

Sec.  4.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  before  any 
telegraph  company  shall  exercise  any  of  the  powers  or 
privileges  conferred  by  this  act,  such  company  shall  file 
their  written  acceptance  with  the  Postmaster  General 
of  the  restrictions  and  obligations  required  by  this  act. 

Approved,  July  24,  1866. 

231. 

AN  ACT  to  protect  lines  of  telegraph  constructed  or  used  by  the  United 
States  from  malicious  injury  and  obstruction. 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Represent- 
atives of  the  United  States  of  America  in  Congress  as- 
sembled, That  any  person  or  persons  who  shall  willfully 
or  maliciously  injure  or  destroy  any  of  the  works  or 
property  or  material  of  any  telegraphic  lines  constructed 
or  owned,  or  in  process  of  construction,  by  the  United 
States,  or  that  may  be  hereafter  constructed  and  owned 
or  occupied  and  controlled  by  the  United  States,  or  who 
shall  willfully  and  maliciously  interfere  in  any  way  with 
the  working  or  use  of  any  such  telegraphic  line,  or  who 
shall  willfully  or  maliciously  obstruct,  hinder,  or  delay 
the  transmission  of  any  communication  over  any  such 
telegraphic  line,  shall  be  deemed  guilty  of  a  misde- 
meanor, and,  on  conviction  thereof  in  any  district  court 
of  the  United  States  having  jurisdiction  of  the  same, 
shall  be  punished  by  a  fine  of  not  less  than  one  hundred 
nor  more  than  one  thousand  dollars,  or  with  imprison- 
ment for  a  term  not  exceeding  three  years,  or  with  both, 
in  the  discretion  of  the  court. 

Approved  June  23,  1874. 

232.  All  persons  are  warned  that  any  injury  to,  or 
unauthorized  interference  with,  the  United  States  mili- 
tary telegraph  lines  will  be  prosecuted  under  the  act  of 
Congress  approved  June  23,  1874,  and  a  reward  of  §100 
is  offered  for  information  leading  to  the  arrest  and  con- 
viction of  any  party  or  parties  under  this  act. 

2218 6 


82 


OPERATION   AND   MAINTENANCE  OF 


233.  A  regulation  supply  of  stationery,  etc.,  for  post 
signal  officers  and  military  telegraph  offices  is  fixed 
and  published  by  the  Chief  Signal  Officer  in  a  classified 
annual  supply  table.  Issues  for  current  signal  and  tele- 
graph practice,  of  quantities  fixed  and  articles  enumer- 
ated in  the  supply  table,  may  be  dropped  as  expended  in 
the  public  service.  Special  issues  will  be  made  only  on 
the  recommendation  of  the  department  signal  officer. 
Articles  not  actually  used  in  such  practice  will  be  turned 
over  by  signal  officers  and  others  to  their  authorized 
successors.  These  articles  are  forwarded  without  in- 
voice, and  will  not  be  taken  up  on  returns. 

Classified  annual  supply  table. 


Military 

posts. 

Military  telegraph  offices. 

Articles.       ' 

BO, 

fll 

is  _ 

1 
'A 

1 

1 

1 

P 

Bands,  rubber,  (No.  18)  __gross_ 

1 

— 

2 

2 

125 

3,000 

50 

2 

1 
1 

75 
2,000 

36 
2 

•      1 

1 

50 

1,000 

26 

1 

Envelopes,  large,  franked 

Message 

16 
75 

12 

25 

25 
100 

Linen-lined,  franked* 

1 

G 

12 

10 

25 

______ 

3 
3 
12 

1 

Scratch 

Paper,  blotting cut- 
Legal  cap quires. 

Letter,  ruled do 

Manila,  copying pounds 

50 
2 
4 
8 
4 

10 
2 
4 

36 
144 
2 
2 
2 
2 

25 

1^ 
3 
4 
3 
5 
2 
4 
24 
108 
1 
2 
1 
2 

2 

2 

5 

1 

3 
18 
72 

1  ' 

1 

1 

2 

12 
1 

2 

K 

Telegraph packages. 

Typewriter  f quires 

3 

1 

1 

Wrapping do 

1 

Penholders 

2 
20 
20 

2 

2 

Pencils,  black  lead 

12 

Pens    ___    _ 

24 

Pins rolls 

1 

Sponge,  small pieces. 

1 

Tape rolls- 
Wands  .._        

1 

12 

2 

— _-__ 

2" 

Wickiug  torch pounds. 

3^ 

*  Furnished  only  to  stations  transmitting  line  receipts, 
t  Furnished  only  to  stations  having  typewriters. 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  83 

234.  The  forms,  stationery,  and  supplies  above  tabn- 
lated  will  be  issued  in  December  for  the  next  calendar 
year.  The  number  of  companies,  troops,  and  batteries 
at  each  post  will  be  determined  from  the  published  list 
issued  by  the  Adjutant  General  of  the  Army. 

235.  The  following  blank  forms  are  furnished  by  the 
Signal  Corps : 

101.  Account  current,  "This  line  receipts,"  officer. 

102.  Account  current,   "Other  line  receipts, "  officer. 

103.  Account  current,  "This  line  receipts,"  station. 

104.  Account  current,  "Other  line  receipts,"  station, 

105.  Check  report. 

106.  Statement  of  uncollected  messages,  "This  line," 
operator. 

107.  Statement  of  uncollected  messages,  "Other 
lines,"  operator. 

108.  Transfer  statement  of  uncollected  messages, 
"This  line,"  operator. 

109.  Transfer  statement  of  uncollected  messages, 
"Other  lines,"  operator. 

110.  Statement  of  guaranteed  messages,  "This  line," 
operator, 

111.  Statement  of  guaranteed  messages, ' '  Other  lines, ' ' 
operator, 

112.  Statement  of  guaranteed  messages  transferred, 
"This  line,"  operator. 

113.  Statement  of  guaranteed  messages  transferred, 
"Othw  lines,"  operator, 

116.  Bill  United  States  military  telegraph  lines  against 
"Other  lines,"  operator. 

117.  Bill  ' '  Other  lines  "  against  United  States  military 
telegraph  lines,  operator. 

118.  Monthly  statement  of  amount  paid  and  receipted 
for  by  "other  lines." 


84  OPERATION   AND   MAINTENANCE  OF 

119.  Monthly  statement  O.   B.   &  W.  D.   telegrams 
transferred  to  commercial  lines,  operator. 

120.  Statement  of  postage  and  special  delivery  charges 
paid  on  commercial  telegrams,  operator. 

121.  Invoice    of     " line"     tolls     transferred, 

operator. 

122.  Receipt  for  " line"  tolls. 

124.  Telegrams  sent. 

125.  Telegrams  received. 

1255.  Telegrams  received,  "Typewriter." 

126.  Error  sheet. 

127.  Check  error  sheet  and  card. 

128.  Message  delivery  sheet. 

129.  Monthly  labor  and  material  report. 

130.  Monthly  line  report. 

131.  Repairman's  trip  report. 

132.  Statement  of  remittances. 

133.  Wrapper,  daily  record  of  messages. 

200.  Semiannual  return  of  property,  regular. 

201.  Semiannual  return  of  property,  abridged. 

202.  Invoice  or  receipt,  combined. 

203.  Invoice. 

204.  Receipt. 

205.  Certificate  of  expenditure. 

^06.  Certificates  of  property  lost  or  destroyed. 

207.  Advertisement  for  proposals,  station. 

208.  Abstract  of  proposals,  stations. 

209.  Estimate  for  blank  forms. 

209a.  Estimate  for  articles  expendable. 
209&.  Estimate  for  articles  unexpendable. 

210.  Bill  for  services  hired. 

211.  Vouchers  for  articles  or  services. 

212.  Personal  reports,  sergeants. 

213.  Personal  reports,  officers. 

214.  Special  requisition. 


U.  S    MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  85 

236.  In  addition  to  the  special  directions  herein  pro- 
mulgated, the  Army  Regulations,  orders  of  the  War 
Department,  and  decisions  of  the  accounting  officers  of 
the  Treasury  Department  relating  to  the  accountability 
for  public  property  must  be  strictly  followed. 

For  information  regarding  matters  not  clearly  under- 
stood, application  will  be  made  to  the  officer  in  charge. 


APPENDIX. 


EXTRACTS   FROM   ARMY    REGULATIONS,   GENERAL 
ORDERS,  CIRCULARS,  AND  DECISIONS, 

AND 

NOTES  ON  CONSTRUCTION  AND  MAINTENANCE 
OF  TELEGRAPH  LINES. 


(87) 


Extracts  from  Army  Regulations,  General  Orders, 
Circulars,  and  Decisions. 


237.  A.  R. ,  9.  The  following  are  the  grades  of  rank  of 
officers  and  noncommissioned  officers : 

1.  Major  general. 

2.  Brigadier  general. 

3.  Colonel. 

4.  Lieutenant  colonel. 

5.  Major. 

6.  Captain. 

7.  First  lieutenant. 

8.  Second  lieutenant. 

9.  Cadet. 

10.  Sergeant  major  (regimental). 

11.  Quartermaster  sergeant  (regimental). 

12.  Ordnance,  commissary,  and  post  quartermaster 
sergeant,  hospital  steward,  first-class  sergeant  of  the 
Signal  Corps,  chief  musician,  principal  musician,  chief 
trumpeter,  and  saddler  sergeant. 

13.  First  sergeant. 

14.  Sergeant  and  acting  hospital  steward. 

15.  Corporal. 

In  each  grade,  date  of  commission,  appointment,  or 
warrant,  determines  the  order  of  precedence. 

General  Orders,  ^  Headquarters  of  the  Army, 
y     Adjutant  General's  Office, 
No.  106.  )  Washington,  June  12,  1S99. 

*  *  *  *  * 
The  following  are  the  grades  of  rank  of  officers  and 

noncommissioned  officers : 

*  *  *  *  ♦ 

11.  Quartermaster  sergeant  (regimental). 

(89) 


90  OPERATION  AND    MAINTENANCE  OF 

12.  Ordnance  sergeant,  commissary  sergeant,  post 
quartermaster  sergeant,  electrician  sergeant,  hospital 
steward,  first-class  sergeant  of  the  Signal  Corps,  chief 
musician,  principal  musician,  chief  trumpeter,  and 
saddler  sergeant. 

13.  First  sergeant. 


General  Orders,  )  Headquarters  of  the  Army, 
I     Adjutant  General's  Office, 
No.  111.  \  Washington,  June  12,  1899^ 


9.  The  following  are  the  grades  of  rank  of  officers  and 
noncommissioned  officers : 


11.  Quartermaster  sergeant  (regimental). 

12.  Commissary  sergeant  (regimental). 

13.  Ordnance  sergeant,  commissary  sergeant,  post 
quartermaster  sergeant,  electrician  sergeant,  hospital 
steward,  first-class  sergeant  of  the  Signal  Corps,  chief 
musician,  chief  trumpeter,  and  principal  musician. 

14.  Squadron  or  battalion  sergeant  major. 

15.  First  sergeant  and  drum  major. 

16.  Sergeant  and  acting  hospital  steward. 


238.  A.  R.,  17.  An  officer  of  Engineers  or  Ordnance, 
or  of  the  Adjutant  General's,  Inspector  General's, 
Judge  Advocate  General's,  Quartermaster's,  or  Sub- 
sistence Department,  or  of  the  Signal  Corps,  though 
eligible  to  command  according  to  his  rank,  shall  not 
assume  command  of  troops  unless  put  on  duty  under 
orders  which  specially  so  direct,  by  authority  of  the 
President. 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  91 

239.  A.  R. ,  22.  Promotions  in  established  staff  corps 
and  departments  to  include  the  grade  of  colonel  will 
be  made  by  seniority,  subject  to  the  examinations 
required  by  law. 


240.  A.  R.,167.  Noncommissioned  officers  and  en- 
listed men  of  the  several  staff  departments  will  not  be 
detailed  on  extra  duty  without  authority  from  the 
Secretary  of  War.  They  are  not  entitled  to  extra-duty 
pay  for  services  rendered  in  their  respective  depart- 
ments. 


241.  A.  R.,  196.  The  personal  staff  of  a  department 
commander  will  consist  of  the  authorized  aids.  The 
department  staff  will  be  limited  to  the  officers  detailed 
by  the  Secretary  of  War  from  appropriate  staff  depart- 
ments or  corps  or  of  officers  of  the  line  detailed  by  the 
same  authority  to  act  in  their  stead,  and  their  official 
designations  will  be  as  follows:  Adjutant  general, 
chief  quartermaster,  chief  commissary,  chief  surgeon, 
chief  paymaster,  judge  advocate,  and  artillery  inspector, 
the  last  appointed  as  prescribed  in  paragraph  350 ;  also, 
when  necessary,  an  engineer  officer,  an  ordnance  officer, 
and  a  signal  officer,  each  detailed  from  his  corps ;  but 
when  any  of  these  officers  are  not  assigned,  or  when 
any  department  staff  officer  is  temporarily  absent  or 
disabled,  the  duties  of  his  position  will  be  performed 
by  other  members  of  the  department  or  personal  staff. 
The  chief  quartermaster  and  chief  commissary  will 
each  have  charge  of  the  depot  of  his  department,  at 
the  place  where  headquarters  are  located,  and  will, 
when  practicable,  make  purchases.  The  chief  surgeon 
will,  when  practicable,  perform  the  duty  of  attending 
surgeon.  The  chief  paymaster  will  make  a  proportion 
of  the  payments  in  the  command.  The  duties  pre- 
scribed  in  Small  Arms  Firing  Regulations    for  the 


93  OPERATION  AND    MAINTENANCE  OF 

inspector  of  small  arms  practice  will  be  performed  by 
an  aid  or  by  the  adjutant  general. 


242.  A.  R. ,  202.  An  orderly  observance  of  the  sabbatli 
by  the  officers  and  men  in  the  military  service  is  en- 
joined. Military  duty  and  labor  on  Sunday  will  be 
reduced  to  the  measure  of  strict  necessity. 


243.  A.  R.,  203.  The  staff  of  a  post  commander  will 
consist  of  such  staff  officers  as  are  on  duty  at  the  post, 
and  such  line  officers  as  may  be  required  for  staff  duties. 
Their  official  designations  will  be  as  follows:  Adjutant, 
quartermaster,  commissary,  surgeon,  assistant  surgeon, 
engineer  officer,  ordnance  officer,  and  signal  officer. 

244.  A.  R.,  694.  Accountability  for  public  property 
will  not  be  transferred  to  enlisted  men,  except  to  ser- 
geants of  the  post  noncommissioned  staff  atungarrisoned 
posts  and  sergeants  of  the  Signal  Corps. 


245.  A.  R.,  737.  When  a  chief  of  bureau  of  the  War 
Department  desires  to  change  the  station  of  an  officer  or 
enlisted  man  of  his  Department,  or  to  send  him  on  duty 
peculiar  thereto  (except  in  cases  of  officers  employed 
under  the  appropriation  for  the  improvement  of  rivers 
and  harbors,  and  of  enlisted  men  belonging  to  the  Sig- 
nal Corps  or  detailed  to  duty  therewith),  he  will  make 
application  for  authority  to  do  so  through  the  Adjutant 
General  of  the  Army,  setting  forth  the  reasons  for 
change  or  purpose  of  such  changes. 


246.  A.  R.,  784.  At  every  muster  of  troops,  muster 
and  pay  rolls  will  be  prepared,  signed,  and  disposed  of 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  93 

by  the  commander  of  each  regiment,  company,  or  sepa- 
rate detachment,  in  accordance  with  directions  on  the 
blank  forms  furnished  by  the  Adjutant  General  of  the 
Army.  There  will  be  reported  on  the  regimental  roll 
the  regimental  field  officers,  staff  (commissioned  and 
noncommissioned),  and  band;  on  the  company  roll,  the 
officers  and  enlisted  men  belonging  to  the  company ;  on 
the  hospital  roll,  the  medical  officers,  the  hospital  corps, 
and  the  authorized  matrons ;  on  the  post  noncommis- 
sioned staff  roll,  the  post  noncommissioned  staff  and 
enlisted  men  of  the  Signal  Corps  serving  at  the  post. 
The  post  noncommissioned  staff  roll  will  be  prepared 
and  signed  by  the  adjutant,  who  will  also  keep  the  ac- 
counts and  prepare  the  final  statements  of  the  men 
borne  thereon. 

Circular  J        Headquarters  op  the  Army, 

y  Adjutant  General's  Office, 

No.  3.      )  Washington,  February  2,  1897. 

The  following  decision  is  published  for  the  informa- 
tion of  all  concerned : 

Pay  Rolls.— Muster  and  pay  rolls,  Form  No.  17  (1, 
2,  3,  and  4  sheets),  Adjutant-General's  Office,  will  be 
discontinued,  and  blank  forms  of  pay  rolls  (1,  2,  3,  and 
4  sheets)  will  hereafter  be  furnished  by  the  Paymaster 
General  of  the  Army.  (Article  LXVI,  Army  Regula- 
tions, is  amended  accordingly. ) 

(Note.— See  A.  R.,  784.) 


247.  A.  R.,  973.  Subsistence,  ordnance,  signal,  med- 
ical, and  hospital  stores  are  procured  and  issued  by  other 
bureaus  of  the  Department,  but  the  Quartermaster's 
Department  transports  them  to  the  place  of  issue  and 
provides  storehouses  for  their  preservation  until  con- 
sumed. 


94 


OPERATION  AND   MAINTENANCE  OF 


248.  A.  R.,  1006.  The  following  table  shows  the 
number  of  rooms,  the  quantity  of  fuel,  and  the  allow- 
ance of  cooking  and  heating  stoves  to  be  supplied  for 
the  use  of  the  officers  and  men  in  quarters  and  barracks : 


Rooms. 

Cords 
of  wood 

per 
month. 

In- 
creased 
allow- 
ance 
from 
Septem- 
ber to 
April, 
both  in- 
clusive. 

For 
quarters. 

For 
office. 

i 

< 

i 
1 

m 

o 

< 

o 

1 
1 

s 

a 

be- 

ii 

".1 

1 

a 
o 

® 

O 

1 

■A 

1 

C 

s 

1 

> 

o 

1 

bC 

a 

t 

* 

*    *    *    signal     ser- 
geant,!                  .      1 

'A 

i 

i 

i 
] 

Vz 

1 

(Nineteenth     line    from 
foot  of  page  140.) 

For  telegraph  office   

1 

*            *            *  ■ 



1 

General  Orders, 


No.  12. 


Headquarters  op  the  Army, 
Adjutant  General's  Office, 
Washingtoyiy  January  17, 1899. 


By  direction  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  paragraph  1006 
of  the  Regulations  is  hereby  amended  by  inserting  in 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH   LINES.  95 

the  nineteenth  line  from  foot  of  page  140,  after  the 
words  "signal  sergeant, "f  the  following:  "enlisted 
men  of  the  Signal  Corps  when  employed  as  signal  ser- 
geant, "f 


249.  A.  R.,  1010.  A  sergeant  major,  quartermaster 
sergeant,  sergeant  of  the  post  noncommissioned  staff, 
hospital  steward,  veterinary  surgeon,  signal  sergeant, 
and  chief  musician  may  each  be  allowed  one  cooking 
stove  in  lieu  of  one  heating  stove. 


250.  A.  B.,  1013.  Lamps  having  one  or  two  burners, 
with  circular  wicks  of  about  li  inches  inside  diameter, 
will  be  issued  as  follows :  To  troops  in  barracks,  at  the 
rate  of  one  burner  for  every  ten  men  and  every  fraction 
thereof,  when  the  fraction  is  five  or  more,  of  the  maxi- 
mum strength  allowed  the  organization,  and  such  num- 
ber of  lamps  or  lanterns  for  lighting  interior  passage- 
ways as  may  be  necessary,  not  to  exceed  three  in  each 
barrack.  Companies  messing  separately  will  be  allowed 
three  additional  burners.  To  each  noncommissioned 
staff  ofl&cer  and  to  each  first  sergeant,  a  lamp  with  a 
single  burner.  For  hospitals,  such  number  of  burners, 
not  to  exceed  one  for  each  ward  or  room,  as  may  be 
deemed  necessary  by  the  post  surgeon  and  post  com- 
mander. The  lamps  with  wicks  of  less  than  one  inch 
diameter,  if  on  hand,  will  not  be  superseded  except  as 
they  become  unserviceable  and  are  beyond  repair.  Two 
of  these  burners  will  be  allowed  in  lieu  of  one  of  larger 
size,  and  parts  for  their  repair  will  be  furnished  when 
called  for. 


96  operation  and  maintenance  of 

Circular  \      Headquarters  of  the  Army, 

V  Adjutant  General's  Office, 

No.  5.     j  Washington,  April  4,  1896. 

*  *  *  *  ^f 

3.  Lamps  for  Signal  Corps  Sergeants.— Sergeants 
of  the  Signal  Corps,  when  not  serving  in  a  detachment, 
will  be  provided  a  lamp  with  a  single  burner  by  the 
Quartermaster's  Department,  the  same  as  is  provided 
for  members  of  the  noncommissioned  staff  under  para- 
graph 1013  of  the  Regulations. 


251.  A.  R.,  1109.  The  following  persons  are  entitled, 
at  public  expense,  to  a  double  berth  in  a  sleeping  car,  or 
to  the  customary  stateroom  accommodations  on  steam- 
ers where  extra  charge  is  made  for  the  same :  Officers 
of  the  Army  traveling  on  duty  with  troops,  civilian 
clerks  and  agents  in  the  military  service  when  traveling 
under  orders  on  public  business,  sergeant  majors,  ord- 
nance, commissary,  and  quartermaster  sergeants  (post 
or  regimental),  hospital  stewards,  chief  musicians, 
principal  musicians,  chief  trumpeters,  saddler  ser- 
geants, and  sergeants  of  the  Signal  Corps,  when  travel- 
ing under  orders  on  public  business  without  troops; 
also  invalid  soldiers  when  so  traveling  on  the  certificate 
of  a  medical  officer  showing  the  necessity  therefor. 
Officers  of  the  Army  traveling  with  troops  on  day  jour- 
neys are  entitled  to  seats  in  day  parlor  cars,  provided 
such  privilege  is  not  covered  by  sleeping-car  accommo- 
dations already  held  by  them. 

General  Orders,  1  Headquarters  of  the  Army, 
V     Adjutant  General's  Office, 
No.  40.  )  Washington,  June  24,  1897. 

*  *  *  *  •X- 

*  *  *  Officers  of  the  Army  traveling  on  duty, 
civilian  clerks  and  agents  in  the  military  service  when 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  97 

traveling  under  orders  on  public  business,  sergeant 
majors,  ordnance,  commissary,  and  quartermaster  ser- 
geants (post  or  regimental),  hospital  stewards,  chief 
musicians,  chief  trumpeters,  saddler  sergeants,  and  ser- 
geants of  the  Signal  Corps,  when  traveling  under  orders 
on  public  business  without  troops. 

*  -x-  *  *  * 

General  Orders,  )  Headquarters  of  the  Army, 
I     Adjutant  General's  Office, 
No.  90.  J  Washington,  May  5,  1899. 

*  *  ^  *  * 

*  *  *  Officers  of  the  Army  traveling  on  duty  with 
troops ;  Army  nurses,  civilian  clerks,  and  agents  in  the 
military  service,  when  traveling  under  orders  on  public 
business;  sergeant  majors,  ordnance,  commissary,  and 
quartermaster  sergeants  (post  or  regimental),  hospital 
stewards,  chief  musicians,  principal  musicians,  chief 
trumpeters,  saddler  sergeants,  and  sergeants  of  the  Sig- 
nal Corps,  when  traveling  under  orders  on  public  busi- 
ness without  troops ;  also  invalid  soldiers  when  so  trav- 
eling on  the  certificate  of  a  medical  officer  showing  the 
necessity  therefor. 

When  the  number  of  officers  traveling  with  troops  is 
too  small  to  justify  the  hire  by  the  Quartermaster's 
Department  of  a  standard  sleeping  car  for  their  accom- 
modation, they  shall  be  furnished  with  such  part  of  a 
tourist  sleeping  car  or  other  suitable  sleeping  car,  prop- 
erly curtained  off  for  their  accommodation,  as  the 
Quartermaster's  Department  may  provide  for  their  use 
during  the  journey. 

****** 

General  Orders,  J  Headquarters  of  the  Army, 
C     Adjutant  General's  Office, 
No.  111.  )  Washington,  June  17,  1899. 

*  *  *  *  ♦ 

♦  *  *  Officers  of  the  Army  traveling  on  duty  with 
troops ;  Army  nurses,  civilian  clerks,  and  agents  in  the 

2218 7 


98  OPERATION  AND    MAINTENANCE  OF 

military  service,  when  traveling  under  orders  on  pub- 
lic business;  sergeant  majors,  ordnance,  commissary 
(post  or  regimental),  quartermaster  (post  or  regi- 
mental), and  electrician  sergeants,  hospital  stewards, 
chief  musicians,  chief  trumpeters,  principal  musicians, 
and  sergeants  of  the  Signal  Corps,  when  traveling 
under  orders  on  public  business  without  troops ; 


252.  A.  R.,  1119.  The  baggage  to  be  tran^orted  on 
public  expense,  including  mess  chests  and  personal 
baggage,  upon  change  of  station,  will  not  exceed  the 
following  weights : 


Rank. 

In  the 
field. 

Changing 
station. 

*                   *                   *                   *                   * 
*    *    *    and  sergeant  of  the  Signal  Corps,  each 

Pounds. 

Pounds. 
500 

These  allowances  are  in  excess  of  the  weights  trans- 
ported free  of  charge  under  the  regular  fares  by  public 
carriers.  They  may  be  reduced  pro  rata  by  the  com- 
manding officer,  if  necessary,  and  may,  in  special  cases, 
be  increased  by  the  War  Department  on  transports  by 
water.  Shipments  of  officers'  allowance  of  baggage  will 
in  all  cases  be  made  at  carrier's  risk,  including  those  over 
roads  where  tariffs  provide  for  extra  charge  therefor. 


General  Orders, 


No.  7. 


Headquarters  of  the  Army, 
Adjutant  General's  Office, 
Washington,  January  14,  1899. 


Rank. 

In  the 
field. 

Changing 
station. 

*                  *                  ♦                  *                  * 
*    *    *    and  sergeant  of  the  Signal  Corps,  each 

Povnds. 

Pounds. 

500 

U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  99 

For  officers,  when  embarking  under  orders  for  ex- 
tended service  over  the  sea  for  duty,  the  allowance  of 
baggage  to  be  transported  by  the  Quartermaster's  De- 
partment from  initial  point  to  point  of  embarkation  and 
from  port  of  destination  to  garrison  station  will  be  three 
times  the  allowance  prescribed  above  for  change  of  sta- 
tion. 

These  allowances  are  in  excess  of  the  weights  trans- 
ported free  of  charge  under  the  regular  fares  by  public 
carriers. 


TELEGRAPHING. 


253.  A.  R.,  1206.  The  telegraph  will  be  used  only  in 
cases  of  urgent  and  imperative  necessity,  in  which  the 
delay  consequent  upon  transmission  by  raail  would  be 
prejudicial  to  the  public  interests. 


254.  A.  R. ,  1207.  The  prescribed  telegraphic  code  will 
be  accounted  for  on  the  post  return  and  transferred  upon 
change  of  post  commanders.  The  post  commander  is 
required  to  retain  the  code  in  his  custody,  and  is  respon- 
sible for  the  key  and  its  proper  use.  Department  com- 
manders from  time  to  time,  and  particularly  when  post 
commanders  are  changed,  will  make  use  of  the  code. 


255.  A.  R.,  1208.  Accounts  for  telegrams  on  military 
business,  prepared  on  the  prescribed  form  in  the  name 
of  the  telegraph  company  rendering  the  service,  and 
accompanied  by  the  original  telegrams,  will  be  paid  by 
the  Quartermaster's  Department,  with  the  following 
exceptions : 

1.  Accounts  for  telegrams  which  pass  over  any  of  the 
lines  constructed  and  operated  along  the  bond-aided 
Pacific  railroads. 


100  OPERATION  AND    MAINTENANCE  OF 

2.  Accounts  for  reimbursement  of  amounts  paid  by 
officers  for  telegraphic  service,  which  will  be  prepared 
upon  prescribed  form. 

3,  Accounts  for  telegrams  on  public  business  of  a  con- 
fidential nature  when,  in  the  opinion  of  the  officer  receiv- 
ing or  sending  them,  it  is  improper  that  copies  should 
accompany  the  accounts,  or  where  copies  can  not  be 
procured.  When  it  is  questionable  whether  the  tele- 
grams are  on  official  business  or  that  the  telegraph 
should  have  been  used,  such  accounts  will  be  accompa- 
nied by  full  explanations  from  the  officer  who  sends  or 
receives  the  telegrams. 

The  accounts  excepted  in  this  paragraph  will  be  for- 
warded to  the  Quartermaster  General  for  settlement. 

In  settling  accounts  for  telegrams  which  pass  over 
the  lines  of  more  than  one  company  (bond-aided  ex- 
cepted), payment  maybe  made  on  the  original  telegram, 
to  the  initial  company,  for  the  entire  service. 


256.  A.  R.,  1209.  Telegrams  making  application  for 
leave  of  absence  or  extension  of  leave,  or  of  inquiry 
whether  leave  has  been  granted,  and  the  replies  made 
thereto  by  telegraph,  will  not  be  sent  or  paid  for  as 
public  dispatches. 


257.  A.  R.,  1210.  In  framing  telegrams  all  words  not 
important  to  the  sense  will  be  omitted.  The  last  name 
of  the  officer  addressed,  or  his  title,  and  the  last  name 
of  the  sender  are  generally  sufficient. 


258.  A.  R. ,  1211.  In  counting  the  words  of  telegraphic 
messages  the  following  rules  will  be  observed :  Names 
of  cities  and  places,  when  used  to  designate  such  cities 
or  places,  and  words  properly  connected  by  a  hyphen, 
will  be  counted  as  one  word.  Numerals  will  be  ex- 
pressed in  words,  and  will  not  be  counted  as  hyphened 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  101 

words.  Names  of  places  and  persons  when  given  to 
things  will  be  counted  according  to  the  number  of  dis- 
tinct words  in  each.  Names  such  as  Van  Vliet  or  St. 
Nicholas  will  be  counted  as  one  word.  All  words  con- 
tained in  an  official  telegram  will  be  counted,  including 
name  and  title  of  party  addressed  and  of  the  sender,  but 
excluding  the  name  of  the  place  from  which  sent,  date, 
and  the  words  "official  business,"  which  should  appear 
on  each  telegram. 


259.  A.  R.,  1212.  No  settlement  will  be  made  with 
the  telegraph  office  to  which  a  telegram  is  sent  unless 
satisfactory  proof  be  furnished  that  the  office  from 
which  it  was  sent  has  neither  made  nor  will  make  any 
charge  for  the  service. 

260.  A.  R.,  1213.  In  each  territorial  department  a 
quartermaster  will  be  assigned  by  the  department  com- 
mander to  the  duty  of  adjusting  and  settling  telegraph 
accounts,  under  the  instructions  of  the  Quartermaster 
General. 


261.  A.  R.,  1214.  Blank  forms  for  official  telegrams 
will  be  furnished  by  the  Quartermaster  General  for  the 
use  of  all  persons  in  the  military  service.  When  such 
forms  are  not  used  the  sender  will  prepay  the  message, 
and  will  be  reimbursed  as  provided  in  paragraph  1208. 


262.  A.  R.,  1215.  Nothing  is  required  of  officers  send- 
ing telegrams  beyond  the  delivery  of  the  message  to  the 
company.  The  proper  quartermaster  will  receive  from 
telegraph  companies  their  accounts,  with  proofs  of 
service  (which  should  be  original  telegi*ams  whenever 
practicable),  and  will  prepare  and  certify  vouchers  for 
the  same  and  pay  them,  or  forward  them  for  settlement, 
as  is  required  in  paragraph  1208.     Information  desired 


103  OPERATION  AND    MAINTENANCE  OF 

by  telegraph  companies  in  regard  to  military  business 
will  be  obtained  from  the  Quartermaster's  Department. 


263.  A.  R.,1216.  When  telegrams  are  sent  "collect" 
by  private  individuals,  the  nature  of  the  telegrams 
should  govern  the  action  of  the  disbursing  quartermas- 
ter. If  strictly  on  Government  business,  payment  will 
be  made  by  the  United  States. 


TELEPHONING. 

264.  A.  R.,  1217.  When  telephoning  is  practicable, 
accounts  for  the  same  may  be  paid  from  the  appropria- 
tion for  the  payment  of  telegraphic  service. 


265.  A.  R.,  1301.  The  following  officers,  in  addition 
to  those  whose  pay  is  fixed  by  law,  are  entitled  to  pay 
as  mounted  officers:  Officers  of  the  staff  corps  below 
the  rank  of  major,  officers  serving  with  troops  of  cav- 
alry, officers  of  a  light  battery  duly  organized  and 
equipped,  authorized  aides  duly  appointed,  officers 
serving  with  companies  of  mounted  infantry,  and  offi- 
cers on  duty  which,  in  the  opinion  of  the  department 
commander,  requires  them  to  be  mounted,  and  so  certi- 
fied by  the  latter  on  their  pay  vouchers.  Acting  judge- 
advocates  of  military  departments,  duly  detailed,  are 
entitled,  while  so  serving,  to  the  rank,  pay,  and  allow- 
ances of  captains  of  cavalry. 
General  Orders,  J  Headquarters  of  the  Army, 
>  Adjutant  General's  Office, 
No.  88.  )  Washington,  May  4,  1899. 

*  *  *  *  * 

*  *  *  ,  authorized  aids  duly  appointed,  officers 
serving  as  military  attaches  to  the  embassies  and  lega- 
tions of  the  United  States  at  foreign  capitals,  officers 
serving  with  companies  of  mounted  infantry,  and  offi- 
cers on  duty  which,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Secretary  of 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  103 

War,  or  the  department  or  corps  commander,  requires 
them  to  be  mounted  and  so  certified  by  him  on  their  pay- 
vouchers. 

Acting  judge  advocates  of  military  departments,  duly 
detailed,  are  entitled,  while  so  serving,  to  the  rank,  pay, 
and  allowances  of  captains  of  cavalry. 


266.  A.  R.,  1363.  Payments  to  enlisted  men  will  be 
made  on  muster  and  pay  rolls,  with  the  following  ex- 
ceptions: Enlisted  men  retired  and  men  of  the  post 
noncommissioned  staff,  or  acting  as  such,  and  sergeants 
of  the  Signal  Corps  on  duty  where  there  are  no  other 
troops.  These  will  be  paid  on  their  descriptive  lists  by 
the  chief  paymaster  of  the  department  or  a  paymaster 
designated  by  him ;  if  not  under  the  orders  of  the  de- 
partment commander,  they  will  be  paid  by  a  paymaster 
designated  by  the  Paymaster  General,  Payments  to 
discharged  soldiers  will  be  made  by  any  paymaster, 
imder  the  provisions  of  paragraphs  1382  to  1388. 

General  Orders,  )  Headquarters  of  the  Army, 
I     Adjutant  General's  Office, 
No.  183.  \         Washington,  December  8,  1S98. 

By  direction  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  paragraph  1363 
of  the  regulations  is  amended  to  read  as  follows : 

1363.  Payments  to  enlisted  men  will  be  made  on  mus- 
ter and  pay  rolls,  with  the  following  exceptions :  En- 
listed men  retired  and  men  of  the  post  noncommissioned 
staff,  or  acting  as  such,  and  sergeants,  cori)orals,  and 
privates  of  the  Signal  Corps  on  duty  where  there  are 
no  other  troops.  These  will  be  paid  on  their  descriptive 
lists  by  the  chief  paymaster  of  the  department  or  a  pay- 
master designated  by  him ;  if  not  under  the  orders  of 


104  OPERATION   AND    MAINTENANCE   OF 

the  department  commander,  they  will  be  paid  by  a  pay- 
master designated  by  the  Paymaster  General.  Pay- 
ments to  discharged  soldiers  will  be  made  by  any 
paymaster,  under  the  provisions  of  paragraphs  1382  to 

1388. 


267.  A.  R.,  1537.  The  Chief  Signal  Officer  is  charged, 
under  the  direction  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  with  the 
direction  of  the  Signal  Bureau ;  with  the  control  of  the 
officers,  enlisted  men,  and  employees  attached  thereto ; 
with  the  construction,  repair,  and  operation  of  military 
telegraph  lines ;  with  the  supervision  of  such  instruc- 
tion in  military  signaling  and  telegraphy  as  may  be 
prescribed  in  orders  from  the  War  Department ;  with 
the  procurement,  preservation,  and  distribution  of  the 
necessary  supplies  for  the  Signal  Corps.  He  has  charge 
of  all  military  signal  duties,  and  of  books,  papers,  and 
devices  connected  therewith,  including  telegraph  and 
telephone  apparatus  and  the  necessary  meteorological 
instruments  for  target  ranges  and  other  military  uses ; 
of  collecting  and  transmitting  information  for  the 
Army,  by  telegraph  or  otherwise,  and  all  other  duties 
pertaining  to  military  signaling. 


268.  A.  R.,  1538.  Vacancies  in  the  grade  of  first  lieu- 
tenant in  the  Signal  Corps  are  filled  by  transfer  from 
the  line  of  the  Army.  To  be  eligible,  an  officer  must 
be  less  than  thirty  years  of  age,  have  served  at  least 
two  years  as  an  officer  in  the  line,  and  have  passed  a 
satisfactory  examination  before  a  board  of  officers  of 
the  Signal  Corps.  Applications  for  examination  will 
be  made  to  the  Adjutant  General  of  the  Army.  Should 
the  applicant  be  directed  to  appear  before  a  board,  he 
will,  after  passing  a  satisfactory  examination  as  to  his 
physical  qualifications,  be  examined  upon  the  following 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH   LINES.  105 

subjects,  or  such  others  as  the  Secretary  of  War  may 
prescribe :  Theoretical  and  practical  electricity,  modern 
languages,  chemistry  and  optics,  military  surveying  and 
reconnoissance.  The  board  will  inquire  into  and  con- 
sider the  special  military  fitness  for  the  Signal  Corps 
of  the  candidate,  and  require  from  him  an  essay  on  a 
military  subject. 

269.  A.  R.,  1539.  The  number  of  sergeants  of  each 
class  at  each  signal  station  will  be  fixed  by  the  Chief 
Signal  Officer.  They  will  be  enlisted,  and  may  be  mus- 
tered, at  his  discretion,  in  the  class  for  which  compe- 
tent and  in  which  there  is  a  vacancy.  Sergeants  are 
promoted  and  reduced  in  the  classes  of  their  grade,  as 
fixed  by  law,  by  the  Chief  Signal  Officer. 


270.  A.  R.,  1540.  An  officer  having  charge  of  the  de- 
scriptive list  of  a  sergeant  of  the  Signal  Corps  not  mus- 
tered at  a  garrisoned  post  will  forward  monthly  to  the 
Chief  Signal  Officer  direct  a  copy  of  all  remarks  made 
on  the  descriptive  list,  also  of  the  list  when  transfeiTed 
to  any  other  officer. 


271.  A.  R.,  1541.  The  senior  signal  officer  of  an  army 
in  the  field  commands  the  signal  parties  serving  therein. 
Orders  affecting  them  will  be  transmitted  through  him, 
and  he  will  be  responsible  that  they  are  fully  instructed, 
adequately  supplied,  and  that  they  properly  perform 
their  duties.  He  wnll  keep  himself  informed  of  the 
position  of  the  army  and  of  the  enemy,  and,  under  the 
instruction  of  the  general  commanding,  will  establish 
his  stations.  He  will  submit  reports  of  operations  to 
the  general  commanding,  and  forward  copies  thereof 
t^  the  Chief  Signal  Officer  in  "Washington,  to  whom  he 


106  OPERATION  AND   MAINTENANCE  OF 

will  report  monthly  his  station,  the  strength  and  con- 
dition of  his  parties,  and  all  other  matters  pertaining  to 
their  duties  and  equipment. 


272.  A.  E..,  1543.  When  telegraph  lines  are  by  order 
of  the  Secretary  of  War  placed  under  charge  of  signal 
officers,  they  will  be  held  responsible  for  their  construc- 
tion, maintenance,  and  operation.  Commanding  officers 
and  others  will  see  that  the  special  "duties  of  these  offi- 
cers are  not  interfered  with,  and  upon  proper  applica- 
cation  wiU  render  any  assistance  in  their  power. 


273.  A.  R.,  1543.  Official  and  military  messages  will 
have  precedence.  Communications  transmitted  by  tele- 
graph or  signals  are  always  confidential,  and  will  not 
be  revealed  except  to  those  officially  entitled  to  receive 
them. 


274.  A.  R.,  1544.  Department  commanders  will 
require  suitable  instruction  and  practice  in  military 
signaling  in  their  departments.  To  this  end  they  will 
cause  a  signal  officer  to  be  detailed  at  each  post  who 
will  give  necessary  instruction  and  supervise  field  prac- 
tice during  at  least  two  months  of  the  year.  Constant 
instruction  will  be  maintained  until  at  least  one  officer 
and  four  enlisted  men  of  each  company  are  proficient 
in  the  exchange  of  both  day  and  night  signals  by  flag, 
torch,  and  heliograph.  The  detail  will  be  changed  from 
time  to  time.  For  each  month  in  which  instruction 
and  practice  are  held  reports  thereof  will  be  rendered 
to  the  Chief  Signal  Officer  through  department  com- 
manders. 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES 


General  Orders,  )  Headquarters  of  the  Army, 

V  Adjutant  General's  Office, 
No.  4.             )         Washington,  Fehmiary  5,  1896. 

1.  By  direction  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  the  follow- 
ing is  published  for  the  information  of  the  Army : 

Proficiency,  under  paragraph  1544  of  the  Army  Regu- 
lations, will  be  attained  when  the  officers  and  men 
under  instruction  shall  be  able  to  send  and  receive  by 
flag  and  torch  at  the  rate  of  five  words  per  minute,  and 
by  heliograph  and  lantern  at  the  rate  of  eight  words 
per  minute,  with  the  minimum  distance  between  sta- 
tions of  5  miles,  every  five  letters  of  the  written 
message  to  be  counted  as  one  word. 

•x-  *  *  *  * 

General  Orders,  )  Headquarters  of  the  Army, 

V  Adjutant  General's  Office, 
No.  32.            )  Washington,  August  1,  1896. 

*  4fr  *  Mr  * 

2.  The  proficiency  required  by  paragraph  1544,  Army 
Regulations,  will  be  considered  to  have  been  attained 
by  an  officer  or  enlisted  man  under  instruction  when, 
at  a  distance  of  4  miles  from  the  connecting  station,  he 
can  send  and  receive  five  words  per  minute,  each  five 
letters  of  the  written  message  to  count  as  one  word. 
Paragraph  1,  General  Orders,  No.  4,  February  5,  1896, 
fr«m  this  office,  is  modified  accordingly. 

***** 

General  Orders,  j  Headquarters  of  the  Army, 
I     Adjutant  General's  Office, 
No.  17.  )  Washington,  March  26,  1897. 

***** 

11.  The  following  modification  of  existing  instruc- 
tions, ordered  by  the  Secretary  of  War,  are  published 
for  the  information  and  guidance  of  all  concerned : 


108  OPERATION  AND   MAINTENANCE  OF 

The  proficiency  required  by  paragraph  1544,  Army 
Regulations,  will  be  considered  to  have  been  attained 
by  an  officer  or  enlisted  man  under  instructions  when, 
at  a  distance  of  4  miles  from  the  connecting  station,  he 
can  send  and  receive,  by  flag  or  torch,  and  heliograph, 
four  words  per  minute,  each  five  letters  of  the  written 
message  to  count  as  one  word.  Section  2,  paragraph 
11,  General  Orders,  No.  32,  August  1,  1896,  from  this 
office,  relating  to  military  signaling,  and  so  much  of 
Paragraph  IV,  General  Orders,  No.  41,  September  4, 
1896,  from  this  office,  as  prescribes  the  qualifications 
for  gunnery  specialists,  are  modified  accordingly. 


General  Orders,  )  Headquarters  of  the  Army, 
I     Adjutant  General's  Office, 
No.  114.  )  Washington,  June  22,  1899. 

1.  By  direction  of  the  Acting  Secretary  of  War,  para- 
graph 1544  of  the  Regulations  is  amended  to  read  as 
follows : 

1544.  Department  commanders  will  supplement  the 
operations  of  the  Signal  Corps  of  the  Army  by  such 
instructions  in  practice  in  military  signaling  as  they 
deem  necessary  for  the  public  service.  Instruction  in 
the  line  of  the  Army  contemplates  that  each  independ- 
ent command  should  have  at  least  two  officers  and  two 
enlisted  men  able  to  exchange  messages  in  the  Army 
and  Navy  Code  at  short  distance  by  day  and  night. 


275.  A.  R.,  1545.  As  the  Army  Signal  Code  differs 
from  the  Navy  code,  code  cards  and  instructions  in 
detail  for  using  each  will  be  furnished  by  the  Chief 
Signal  Officer  upon  application. 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  109 

General  Orders,  )  Headquarters  op  the  Army, 
I     Adjutant  General's  Office, 
No.  32.  \  Washington,  August  1,  1896. 


The  report  of  a  joint  Army  and  Navy  Board  appointed 
to  investigate  the  subject  of  signal  codes  having  been 
approved,  the  Myer  Code,  in  use  by  the  Army  prior  to 
1886,  as  modified  by  the  above-mentioned  board,  will, 
on  and  after  October  1,  1896,  be  used  for  visual  signal- 
ing in  the  Army  and  for  intercommunication  with  the 
Navy.  The  use  of  the  American  Morse  Code,  as  pre- 
scribed in  General  Orders,  No.  59,  June  28,  1889,  from 
this  ofl&ce,  will  thereafter  be  discontinued  exoept  for 
telegraphic  purposes. 


3,  Cards  and  pamphlets  containing  full  instructions 
for  using  the  code  will  be  furnished  by  the  Chief  Signal 
Officer  of  the  Army  upon  application. 


276.  A.  R. ,  1546.  Signal  supplies  will  be  furnished  by 
the  Signal  Bureau  to  posts  and  such  organizations  as 
require  them,  on  requisitions  approved  by  department 
commanders.  They  will  be  receipted  for  by  signal 
officers  and  will  be  accounted  for  to  the  Chief  Signal 
Officer  on  forms  furnished  for  the  purpose.  Telescopes, 
field  glasses,  heliographs,  and  telephones,  when  unserv- 
iceable, will  not  be  submitted  to  an  inspector  for  con- 
demnation without  previous  authority  of  the  Chief 
Signal  Officer. 


277.  A.  R.,  1547.   Quartei*masters  and  commissaries 
will  issue  to  signal  parties  serving  in  their  vicinity  such 


110  OPERATION  AND    MAINTENANCE  OF 

supplies  from  their  respective  departments  as  may  be 
necessary  for  their  proper  equipment  and  subsistence, 
on  the  requisition  of  the  officer  in  charge  of  such  parties. 


278.  A.  R. ,  1551.  Officers  or  enlisted  men  who,  in  their 
own  right  or  by  right  of  inheritance,  are  members  of 
military  societies  of  men  who  served  in  the  armies  and 
navies  of  the  United  States  in  the  war  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, the  war  of  1813,  the  Mexican  war,  and  the  war  of 
•the  rebellion,  or  are  members  of  the  Regular  Army  and 
Navy  Union  of  the  United  States,  may  wear  on  all 
occasions  of  ceremony,  when  full  dress  is  required,  the 
distinctive  badges  of  such  societies — badges  to  be  worn 
on  the  left  breast  of  the  coat  suspended  by  a  ribbon 
from  a  bar  of  metal  passed  through  their  upper  ends,  and 
tops  of  the  ribbons  forming  a  horizontal  line,  the  outer 
end  of  which  will  be  from  three  to  four  inches  below 
the  top  of  the  shoulder,  according  to  height  of  wearer. 
Medals  of  honor  and  the  several  distinctive  marks  given 
for  excellence  in  rifle  practice  may  also  be  worn  in  the 
same  manner  by  officers  and  enlisted  men  upon  all  occa- 
sions of  ceremony.  Insignia  "buttons"  will  not  be 
worn. 


279. 

Circular  ^  Headquarters  of  the  Army, 

V  Adjutant  General's  Office, 

No.  18.     )  Washingto7i,  March  29,  1899. 

*  *  *  ^«-  * 

1.  Checks. — A  disbursing  officer  is  not  authorized  to 
draw  checks  in  his  own  favor,  or  to  bearer  (par.  596, 
A.  R. ) ,  for  making  payments  of  amounts  not  exceeding 
$20,  unless  such  checks  bear  indorsed  upon  them  the 
names  of  the  persons  to  whom  the  amounts  drawn  are 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  Ill 

to  be  paid,  or  accompanied  by  a  list  or  schedule,  made 
a  part  of  the  checks,  containing  the  same  information. 
(Decision  Asst.  Sec.  War,  March  18, 1899—213731  A.G.O.) 


280. 

General  Orders,  )  Headquarters  of  the  Army, 

I      Adjutant  General's  Office, 
No.  9.  \         Washington,  January  16,  1899. 

1.  To  curtail  the  large  expense  incident  to  cable  com- 
munication, the  Secretary  of  War  directs  that  only 
such  words  be  used  in  cable  dispatches  as  are  neces- 
sary to  clear  comprehension  of  their  contents.  Here- 
after messages  by  cable  from  abroad  to  officials  at  the 
War  Department  will  be  addressed  with  the  following 
abbreviations : 

Secwar  (Secretary  of  War). 

Asecwar  (Assistant  Secretary  of  War). 

Genwar  (Commanding  General  Army). 

Agwar  (Adjutant  General). 

Inspecwar  (Inspector  General,  War  Department). 

Jagwar  (Judge- Advocate  General). 

Quag  war  (Quartermaster  General). 

Com  war  (Commissary  General). 

Signals  (Chief  Signal  Officer). 

Pay  war  (Paymaster  General). 

Cengwar  (Chief  of  Engineers). 

Cord  war  (Chief  of  Ordnance). 

Surgwar  (Surgeon  General,  War  Department). 

2.  By  direction  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  the  Chief 
Signal  Officer  of  the  Army  is  charged  with  the  prepa- 
ration of  a  suitable  telegraphic  cable  code  for  the  official 
use  of  the  Army,  and  until  such  code  is  perfected  the 


112  OPERATION  AND    MAINTENANCE   OF 

*  *  Western  Union  Telegraphic  Code  "  is  adopted  as  a  snp 
plement  to  the  "Telegraphic  Code  to  Insure  Secrecy  in 
the  Transmission  of  Telegrams"  (War  Department  code 
now  used) ,  and  will  be  furnished  on  requisition.  Extra 
sheets  containing  sentences  peculiarly  suited  for  mili- 
tary use  will  be  prepared  by  the  Chief  Signal  Officer 
and  forwarded  from  time  to  time  for  insertion  in  this 
code.  Such  special  vocabularies  and  instructions  as 
may  be  incorporated  in  this  code  must  be  closely  fol- 
lowed.    The  two  codes  must  not  be  used  conjointly. 


281. 

General  Orders,  \  Headquarters  of  the  Army, 
V     Adjutant  General's  Office, 
No.  80.  )  Washington,  April  2J^,  1899. 

*  *  •x  *  * 

29.  The  rank  of  noncommissioned  officers  will  be 
marked  on  the  blouse  and  overcoat  by  chevrons  of  cloth, 
and  on  the  uniform  dress  coat,  except  for  the  Hospital 
Corps,  by  chevrons  of  gold  lace. 

The  chevrons  will  be  worn  points  down ;  those  upon 
the  uniform  dress  coat  and  blouse  will  be  above  the 
elbow ;  those  on  the  overcoat  will  be  below  the  elbow, 
with  the  point  i  inch  below  the  cuff. 

The  cloth  chevrons  to  be  of  the  same  color  as  the  fac- 
ings of  the  uniform  dress  coat,  except  those  worn  by  the 
Hospital  Corps,  which  will  be  of  emerald  green.  Those 
for  the  overcoat  of  infantry  will  be  of  dark-blue  cloth. 

The  Engineer  and  Signal  Corps  chevrons  are  to  be 
piped  with  white  cloth.  The  bars  of  the  chevrons  will 
be  i  inch  wide,  separated  by  silk  stitching,  white  for 
hospital  stewards,  acting  hospital  stewards,  engineers, 
Signal  Corps,  and  for  overcoats  for  infantry ;  black  for 
all  others ;  the  upper  and  lower  edges  to  be  finished  or 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  113 

bound  with  a  similar  stitching.  The  arms  of  the  chev- 
ron bars  to  be  6  or  7  inches  long,  to  be  the  arcs  of  a  circle 
of  about  25  inches  radius,  and  to  meet  at  an  angle  of 
about  96  degrees ;  distance  between  extreme  outer  ends 
about  9  inches. 
Rank  will  be  indicated  as  follows : 
*  *     .  *  *  * 

Sergeant  of  the  first  class  of  the  Signal  Corps.— 
Three  bars  and  an  arc  of  one  bar,  inclosing  a  device  con- 
sisting of  crossed  signal  flags,  red  and  white,  and  a 
burning  torch  in  yellow. 

Sergeant  of  the  Signal  Corps.— Same  as  for  ser- 
geant of  the  first  class,  omitting  the  arc. 

Corporal  of  the  Signal  Corps. — Two  bars  inclos- 
ing same  device  as  for  sergeant  of  the  first  class. 

First-class  Private  of  the  Signal  Corps. — Device 
consisting  of  crossed  signal  flags,  red  and  white,  and  a 
burning  torch  in  yellow. 

4fr  *  •St  ■}«•  * 

GOLD  LACE  CHEVRONS. 

The  gold  lace  chevrons  will  be  of  the  same  dimensions 
as  cloth  chevrons,  stitched  upon  cloth  of  the  same  color 
as  the  facings  of  the  uniform  dress  coat.     *    *    * 

Those  for  the  Signal  Corps  to  have  the  crossed  signal 
flags  and  torches  of  the  same  color  and  dimensions  as 
those  for  the  cloth  chevrons  and  embroidered  in  silk 
and  bullion  in  high  relief. 

SERVICE  CHEVRONS. 

All  enlisted  men  who  have  served  faithfully  for  one 
term  of  enlistment,  for  either  three  years  or  five  years, 
will  wear  as  a  mark  of  distinction,  upon  both  sleeves  of 
the  uniform  dress  coat,  below  the  elbow,  a  diagonal 
half  chevron  of  gold  lace,  ^  inch  wide,  stitched  upon  a 
piece  of  dark-blue  cloth  of  the  color  of  the  uniform 

2218 8 


114  OPERATION  AND   MAINTENANCE  OF 

dress  coat,  and  extending  from  seam  to  seam,  the  front 
end  nearest  the  cuff,  and  i  inch  above  the  point  of  the 
cuff. 

*  *  #  *  * 

To  Indicate  Service  in  War. — A  diagonal  half 
chevron  of  gold  lace,  ^  inch  wide,  with  piping  on  each 
side,  i  inch  wide,  of  cloth  of  the  same  color  as  the  fac- 
ings of  the  arm  of  service  in  which  the  soldier  earned 
the  right  to  wear  it;  those  for  engineers  to  have,  in 
addition,  a  stitching  of  white  silk  on  each  side  of  the 
gold  lace.     To  be  worn  on  both  sleeves  of  the  uniform 

dress  coat. 

*  *  _     *  *  * 

War  service  in  other  arms  will  be  indicated  by  pip- 
ings of  the  color  worn  by  the  arm  in  which  such  service 
was  rendered,  except  in  the  Engineer  Corps,  in  which 
case  the  outer  edges  of  the  scarlet  pipings  shall  have  a 
row  of  white  silk  stitching. 

All  soldiers  who  have  served  during  the  war  of  the 
rebellion  and  who  were  honorably  discharged,  all  who 
served  in  the  Indian  campaigns  enumerated  in  general 
orders  from  the  Headquarters  of  the  Army,  and  all  who 
have  served  or  may  serve  in  the  Army  of  the  United 
States  in  war,  or  in  such  Indian  campaigns  approaching 
the  magnitude  of  war  as  may  from  time  to  time  be  so 
designated  by  the  Secretary  of  War,  are  entitled  to 
wear  the  "service  in  war  "  chevron. 

All  enlisted  men  who,  between  April  31,  1898,  and 
April  11,  1899,  were  assembled  in  camps  or  rendezvous 
in  the  United  States,  or  into  separate  bodies,  such  as 
regiments,  brigades,  divisions,  or  corps,  for  the  purpose 
of  carrying  on  military  operations  and  bringing  to  a 
conclusion  the  war  with  Spain,  and  all  who  embarked 
on  transports  for  campaigns  against  the  enemy  in  Cuba, 
Porto  Rico,  and  the  islands  of  the  Pacific,  or  on  the 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  115 

high  seas,  or  elsewhere,  are  entitled  to  wear  the  "serv- 
ice in  war"  chevron.  The  foregoing  will  not  apply  to 
enlisted  men  who  were  perforniing  service  in  garrisons 
on  the  Western  frontier,  which  is  requisite  m  time  of 
peace,  and  in  no  wise  considered  a  part  of  the  Army- 
assembled  to  carry  on  the  war  with  Spain. 

The  chevrons  to  indicate  service  and  service  in  war, 
if  more  than  one,  will  be  worn  one  a  Dove  the  other  in 
the  order  in  which  they  were  earned,  i  inch  distance 
between  them.  But  one  chevron  will  be  worn  for  each 
enlistment,  the  "service  in  war"  chevron  being  worn 
in  place  of  the  "service"  chevron  for  each  enlistment 
in  which  the  right  to  wear  it  was  earned. 

War  and  service  chevrons  will  be  issued  without 
charge. 

*  X-  *  *  * 

Chevrons  for  Field  Uniforms  (Khaki).— As  de- 
scribed, but  of  such  materials  as  may  be  found  most 
suitable  for  service. 

stripes  for  trousers. 

33.  Sergeants  to  wear  a  stripe  1  inch  wide ;  corporals 
and  lance  corporals  holding  renewed  appointments  to 
wear  a  stripe  i  inch  wide,  and  musicians  to  wear  two 
stripes,  each  i  inch  wide,  of  cloth  conforming  to  color 
of  facing. 

*  *  *  *  # 
Sergeants  of  the  Signal  Corps. — Black  stripes,  1 

inch  wide.     All  stripes  to  be  of  cloth. 
No  stripes  will  be  worn  upon  the  field  (khaki)  trousers. 

undress  cap. 

*  *  *  *  ♦ 

Badge  of  corps  or  letter  of  company  of  yellow  metal, 
unless  otherwise  specified,  according  to  patterns  in  the 


116  OPERATION   AND    MAINTENANCE   OF 

office  of  the  Quartermaster  General,  placed  in  front  so 
that  the  top  of  the  badge  will  be  slightly  below  the  top 
of  the  cap,  as  follows : 


For  the  Signal  Corps.— Two  crossed  signal  flags 
and  a  burning  torch  of  white  metal,  inclosed  in  a  wreath 
of  dead  or  unburnished  gilt  metal. 


282. 

War  Department, 
Circular.  Signal  Office, 

Washington,  March  14,  1899. 

Grades  in  the  enlisted  force  of  the  Signal  Corps,  with 
rate  of  monthly  pay  under  first  enlistment,  are : 

First-class  sergeant $45 

Sergeant  _ . 34 

Corporal 20 

First-class  private 17 

Second-class  private 13 

In  addition  to  the  above,  each  enlisted  man  will  receive 
rations,  clothing,  and  quarters  in  kind,  and  medical 
attendance  when  required. 

Vacancies  in  the  Signal  Corps  are  usually  filled  by 
transfer  of  noncommissioned  officers  of  the  line,  after 
examination  by  an  officer  of  the  Army.  Exceptions  may 
be  made  in  favor  of  applicants  from  civil  life  having 
special  knowledge  of  telegraphy,  electrical  devices,  etc. 

The  term  of  enlistment  is  three  years,  and  men  trans- 
ferred are  expected  to  complete  their  full  term  of  enlist- 
ment in  the  Signal  Corps. 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  117 

As  a  rule,  the  applicant  must  be  single  and  between 
21  and  30  years  of  age  (but  enlisted  men  who  are  good 
telegraph  operators  and  civilians  having  special  qualifi- 
cations will  be  received  between  18  and  35,  written  con- 
sent of  parents  or  guardian  being  required  in  the  case 
of  minor  applicants  for  enlistment) . 

The  Chief  Signal  Officer  must  be  satisfied  as  to  the 
following  points  in  the  case  of  each  applicant : 

1.  Character,  such  as  would  be  given  on  the  discharge 
of  a  soldier. 

2.  Habits,  especially  as  to  sobriety. 

3.  Mental  capacity,  with  reference  to  applicant's 
ability  to  successfully  take  the  theoretical  course  of 
instruction  given  to  members  of  the  Signal  Corps, 
which  embraces  electricity,  telegraphy,  telephony,  and 
photography. 

In  cases  of  enlistment,  a  certificate  as  to  the  above- 
mentioned  points  will  be  required  from  some  well-known 
individual.  In  cases  of  transfer  from  the  line  of  the 
Army,  such  a  certificate  will  be  required  from  the  cap- 
tain commanding  the  company  to  which  the  applicant 
is  attached,  which  certificate  will  also  show  the  appli- 
cant's present  physical  fitness,  especially  as  to  robust- 
ness, hearing,  acuteness  of  vision,  freedom  from  color 
blindness,  and  his  weight. 

Transfers  and  enlistments  will  generally  be  as  second- 
class  privates,  but  in  exceptional  cases  as  first-class 
privates,  future  promotion  depending  upon  the  merits 
and  services  of  the  man. 

Being  acceptable,  the  applicant's  name  will  be  placed 
upon  the  list,  from  which  selections  will  be  made  as 
vacancies  occur,  due  weight  being  given  to  length  of 
service  and  age. 

A.  W.  GREELY, 
Brigadier  General,  Chief  Signal  Officer,  U.  S.  A, 


118  OPERATION   AND    MAINTENANCE   OF 

Circular  J  Headquarters  of  the  Army, 

V  Adjutant  General's  Office, 

No.  22.     )  Washington,  April  18,  1899. 


2.  All  recruiting  officers  are  hereby  directed  to  enlist 
suitable  men  for  the  Signal  Corps,  U.  S.  Army,  when 
requested  to  do  so  by  the  Chief  Signal  Officer  of  the 
Army,  or  by  any  officer  of  the  Signal  Corps,  either  in 
person  or  by  letter.  The  enlistment  papers  of  men  en- 
listed for  the  Signal  Corps  will  be  sent  direct  to  the 
Chief  Signal  Officer.  Men  thus  enlisted  will  be  sent  by 
the  recruiting  officers  to  such  points  as  may  be  desig- 
nated by  the  officers  of  the  Signal  Corps  requesting  the 
enlistments.  Should  no  place  be  designated,  enlistments 
made  in  pursuance  of  these  instructions  will  be  reported 
by  telegraph  to  the  Chief  Signal  Officer  for  his  orders 
regarding  the  disposition  to  be  made  of  them. 


Circular.  War  Department, 

Signal  Office,  March  2,  1899. 
The  following  communication  bearing  on  the  subject 
of  enlistment  in  the  Signal  Corps,  U.  S.  Army,  is  pub- 
lished for  the  information  of  all  concerned : 

War  Department, 
Adjutant  General's  Office, 

Washington,  March  1,  1899. 

The  Chief  Signal  Officer, 

Washington,  D.  C. 
Sir  :  In  reply  to  your  communication  of  February  24, 
1899, 1  have  the  honor  to  Inform  you  that  the  Secretary 
of  War  has  approved  your  request  for  authority  to  enlist 


U.  S.  MILITARY   TELEGRAPH   LINES.  119 

or  reenlist  suitable  married  men  in  the  Signal  Corps 
without  referring  the  papers  to  this  office  in  each  case. 
Very  respectfully, 

THOMAS  WARD, 
Assistant  Adjutant  General. 


Note. — Papers  covering  the  enlistment  or  reenlist- 
ment  of  Signal  Corps  men  must  be  made  in  duplicate, 
and  both  copies  forwarded  at  once  to  the  Chief  Signal 
Officer  of  the  Army,  who  is  required  by  the  Regulations 
to  render  a  recruiting  return  to  the  Adjutant  General 


Notes  on   Construction   and    Maintenance   of   Tele- 
graph Lines. 


(Pars.  283  to  289  from  Pope's  "Modern  Practice  of  Electric  Telegraph.") 
THE  WORKING  CAPACITY  OF  TELEGRAPH   LINES. 

283.  In  order  to  secure  the  best  possible  result  in  the 
working  of  telegraph  lines  we  must  keep  down  the 
resistance  of  the  conductors  in  the  circuit  and  increase 
the  resistance  of  the  insulator  to  the  greatest  prac- 
ticable extent.  In  other  words,  the  resistance  must  be 
as  small  as  possible  in  the  route  we  wish  the  electric 
current  to  travel,  and  as  great  as  possible  in  every  other 
direction.  The  practical  ivorking  value  of  a  telegraph 
line  is  the  margin  between  the  joint  resistance  of  the 
conductor  and  the  insidator  and  that  of  the  insulation 
alone.  The  tension  of  the  retracting  spring  of  the 
relay  armature  when  upon  a  "working  adjustment"  is 
the  measure  of  this  margin  or  difference.  It  is  evident 
that  this  margin  may  be  increased  in  two  ways,  viz : 

(1)  By  increasing  the  insulation  resistance. 

(2)  By  decreasing  the  resistance  of  the  conductor. 

ADVANTAGES  OF  TESTING  BY   MEASUREMENT. 

284.  The  testing  of  lines  by  actual  measurement  lies 
at  the  very  foundation  of  all  efforts  to  improve  the 
working  of  our  telegraphic  system.  The  insulation 
resistance  of  each  of  the  principal  circuits  should  be 
measured  every  morning  and  a  record  of  the  results 
kept  for  reference.  In  England  the  standard  of  insula- 
tion is  1,000,000  ohms  per  mile  in  the  worst  weather. 
Therefore,  a  line  of  200  miles  should  not  give  less  than 

(121) 


132  OPERATION  AND    MAINTENANCE  OF 

1,000,000/200  =  5,000  ohms.  If  it  gives  less  than  this, 
the  low  resistance  is  due  to  defective  insulation.  The 
line  should,  in  that  case,  be  tested  in  many  separate 
sections,  either  from  the  terminal  office  or  by  a  visit  to 
each  section.  If  the  resistance  per  mile  is  the  same  for 
each  section,  the  fault  is  probably  owing  to  the  nature 
of  the  insulation;  but  if,  as  is  usually  the  case,  some 
sections  are  very  much  worse  than  others,  the  trouble 
will  be  found  in  contact  with  trees,  broken  insulators, 
and  the  like.  A  visit  to  the  faulty  locality  will  disclose 
the  cause  of  the  evil. 

TESTING  FOR  CONDUCTIVITY   RESISTANCE. 

285.  The  metallic  resistance  of  the  line  wires  should 
be  occasionally  tested  in  sections  in  the  finest  weather. 
The  resistance  should  be  uniformly  in  proportion  to  the 
length  of  the  wire.  If  any  section  discloses  an  unusu- 
ally high  resistance  per  mile,  it  is  very  probable  that 
there  are  rusty,  unsoldered  joints  in  the  line,  or  that 
the  ground  connections  are  defective.  It  is  difficult  for 
those  who  have  not  tried  it  to  believe  the  vast  improve- 
ment that  may  be  made  in  any  line  in  a  few  days  by 
actual  measurement  and  an  inspection  of  the  sections 
which  give  indications  of  being  defective. 

It  is  not  an  uncommon  occurrence  to  find  that  a  single 
unsoldered  joint  in  galvanized-iron  wire,  which  appears 
perfectly  firm  and  sound,  will  give  a  resistance,  when 
tested  by  the  galvanometer,  equal  to  many  miles  of 
line.  A  line  containing  many  bad  j  oints  will  frequently 
work  better  in  wet  than  in  dry  weather,  as  the  moisture 
increases  the  conductivity  of  the  oxide  between  the 
wires  at  the  joints. 

LEADING  WIRES  INTO  OFFICES. 

286.  The  wires  leading  into  offices  are  fruitful  sources 
of  escapes  and  other  interruptions,  as  the  work  is  often 
very  unskillfully  or  carelessly  done. 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  123 

The  best  way  to  lead  wires  through  the  side  of  a 
building  is  to  inclose  them  in  hard-rubber  tubes,  or  use 
a  wire  well  insulated  with  rubber  compound.  Single 
leading-in  wire  is  furnished  on  requisition. 

GROUND  CONNECTIONS. 

287.  It  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  the  ground 
plate  at  each  end  of  the  line  should  make  a  perfect  con- 
nection with  the  earth.  The  plate  must  be  large,  and 
buried  deep  in  wet  soil,  below  the  reach  of  frost. 


BATTERIES. 

"When  the  batteries  and  instruments  are  equal  at  each 
end  of  a  line,  a  given  fault  will  interfere  most  with  the 
working  of  the  circuit  when  in  the  center. 

When  the  fault  is  near  one  end  of  the  line  the  station 
farthest  from  it  will  receive  the  weakest  signals  and 
the  station  nearest  it  the  strongest  signals. 

In  increasing  the  battery  power  for  working  over  an 
escape  the  addition  should  be  made  to  the  battery  near- 
est the  fault. 

288.  Distribution  of  Battery  Power.— If  the  insu- 
lation of  a  line  was  perfect  at  all  times  the  position  of 
the  battery  in  the  circuit  would  be  a  matter  of  indiffer- 
ence. As  all  lines,  however,  are  subject  to  more  or  less 
leakage  or  escape  throughout  their  entire  length,  the 
whole  battery  should  not  be  located  at  one  end  of  a  long 
line,  for  in  this  case  signals  would  be  received  much 
better  at  one  end  of  the  line  than  the  other.  The  usual 
arrangement  is  to  place  half  the  battery  at  each  end  of 
the  line,  although  if  the  escape  be  uniform  throughout 
the  entire  length  of  the  line  the  effect  upon  its  working 
will  be  the  same,  whether  all  the  battery  is  placed  in  the 
center  of  the  line  or  a  portion  of  it  in  the  center  and  the 
remainder  divided  equally  between  the  two  ends. 


124  OPERATION  AND    MAINTENANCE  OF 

If  a  certain  portion  of  the  line  is  especially  defective 
in  its  insulation,  the  distribution  of  battery  power  may 
sometimes  be  varied  in  accordance  with  the  principles 
laid  down  with  manifest  advantage. 

The  insulation  of  the  batteries  themselves  is  a  matter 
of  great  importance  and  should  never  be  neglected. 

289.  Working  Several  Lines  from  One  Battery. — 
It  has  been  for  many  years  the  practice  in  this  country 
to  work  a  considerable  number  of  lines  at  the  same 
time  from  a  single  battery.  The  number  of  wires  that 
can  be  worked  in  this  manner  without  interference  de- 
pends entirely  upon  the  proportion  between  the  internal 
resistance  of  the  battery  employed  and  the  joint  resist- 
ance of  all  the  circuits  connected  with  it.  If  the  resist- 
ance of  the  battery  itself  is  inappreciably  small  in 
comparison  with  that  of  the  lines  connected  with  it, 
the  current  on  any  given  circuit  will  vary  but  little, 
whether  the  others  be  opened  or  closed.  With  the 
Grove  battery  of,  say,  50  cups,  it  is  possible  to  work  as 
many  as  forty  or  fifty  well -insulated  lines  of  300  miles 
or  more  in  length  without  appreciable  interference. 
The  great  objection  to  this  system  is  that  in  wet 
weather  the  resistance  of  the  lines  is  enormously  di- 
minished and  the  interference  of  one  circuit  with 
another,  as  a  necessary  consequence,  greatly  increased. 

It  is  a  common  practice  when  this  occurs  to  increase 
the  number  of  cups  in  the  battery,  which  in  most  cases 
has  a  tendency  to  aggravate  the  very  evil  it  is  sought  to 
remedy ;  for  with  every  such  addition  the  resistance  of 
the  battery  becomes  greater  in  proportion  to  that  of 
the  lines,  and  the  currents  more  unsteady  and  fluctuat- 
ing. No  small  part  of  the  trouble  experienced  in  work- 
ing lines  in  wet  weather  arises  from  this  cause,  although 
usually  attributed  entirely  to  defective  insulation.  It 
is  true,  however,  that  the  latter  indirectly  causes  the 
difficulty  by  lessening  the  resistance  of  the  wires. 


U.  S.  MILITARY   TELEGRAPH   LINES.  125 

Exi)eriments  made  on  a  very  wet  day  upon  a  number 
of  circuits  of  nearly  the  same  length  (100  miles)  lead- 
ing out  of  New  York  City  proved  that  when  one  such 
wire  was  attached  to  a  carbon  battery  of  60  cups  the 
addition  of  three  other  sirdilar  wires  reduced  the  cur- 
rent on  the  first  one  12  per  cent.  It  is  a  common  prac- 
tice to  attach  as  many  as  eight  wires  to  such  a  battery, 
which  in  the  above  case  would  have  reduced  the  cur- 
rent about  25  per  cent. 

It  is  the  opinion  of  many  scientific  experts  in  practical 
telegraphy  that  increased  efficiency,  as  well  as  economy, 
would  result  from  working  telegraph  lines  with  a  single 
series  of  Daniell's  battery,  in  its  most  approved  form, 
upon  each  circuit.  The  objection  urged  against  this 
battery  is  the  increased  amount  of  room  it  takes  up,  as 
well  as  its  somewhat  greater  original  cost.  (The  Cal- 
laud  form  of  Daniell's  battery  is  used  by  the  Signal 
Corps.     It  has  a  resistance  of  4  to  6  ohms. ) 

As  long  as  the  present  system  remains  in  vogue,  care 
ought  to  be  taken  that  the  different  circuits  leading 
from  the  same  battery  are  as  nearly  as  possible  equal 
in  resistance;  and  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the 
interference  caused  by  attaching  too  many  wires  to  a 
battery  can  not  be  remedied  by  the  addition  of  more 
cups  for  intensity. 

The  amount  of  battery  required  should  not  exceed  1 
Callaud  cell  for  each  75  ohms  of  resistance. 

The  resistance  of  No.  9  B.  W.  G.  iron  wire  should 
not  exceed  20  ohms  per  mile. 

The  resistance  of  No.  14  B.  W.  G.  iron  wire  should 
not  exceed  55  ohms  per  mile. 

The  resistance  of  the  relays  furnished  is  marked  on 
the  instrument ;  if  there  is  no  mark,  they  may  be  taken 
at  150  ohms. 


126  OPERATION  AND   MAINTENANCE   OF 

(Par.  290  from  Kempe.) 
SIMPLE  TESTING. 

290.  1.  In  order  to  be  able  to  make  measurements  of 
any  kind,  it  is  necessary  to  have  certain  standard  units 
with  which  to  make  comparisons.  For  example,  in  the 
case  of  length  or  weight  we  have  as  standards  the  foot 
and  the  pound.  Some  of  the  units  are  dependent  upon 
two  of  the  other  units;  the  unit  of  "work,"  for  exam- 
ple, is  the  foot-pound,  or  the  work  done  in  raising  a 
pound  one  foot  high.  Now,  in  electrical  measurements 
we  require  units  of  a  like  character.  Those  with  which 
we  have  to  deal  chiefly  are  electro-motive  force,  the  unit 
of  which  is  called  the  volt;  resistance,  the  unit  of  which 
is  the  ohm;  also  we  have  the  unit  of  current,  which  is 
dependent  upon  the  two  foregoing  units,  and  which  is 
called  the  ampere. 

2.  If  the  two  poles  of  a  battery  be  joined  by  a  con- 
ductor a  current  will  flow,  and  the  strength  of  this 
current  will  vary  directly  as  the  electro-motive  force  of 
the  battery,  and  inversely  as  the  total  resistance  in  the 
circuit.  This  relation  is  known  as  the  "Ohm's  law." 
If  the  electro-motive  force  is  expressed  in  volts  and  the 
resistance  in  ohms,  the  resulting  current  will  be  the 
amperes. 

3.  Suppose,  now,  a  battery  of  a  resistance  r  and  elec- 
tro-motive force  E,  a  galvanometer  of  resistance  G,  and 
a  wire  of  resistance  p  be  joined  up  in  circuit,  as  shown 
by  fig.  1.  By  the  foregoing  law  the  strength  of  cur- 
rent C  which  will  flow  out  of  the  battery  and  through 
the  galvanometer  will  be 

C  =        ^ 

p  +  r-\-G' 

The  current  in  flowing  through  the  galvanometer 
produces  a  deflection  of  its  needle,  which  deflection 


U.  S.  MILITARY   TELEGRAPH  LINES.  127 

will  remain  constant  provided  the  electro-motive  force 
of  the  battery  and  also  the  resistances  remain  constant. 
If,  now,  jp  be  a  wire  whose  resistance  we  require  to  find, 
and  which  we  can  replace  by  another  wire  the  value  of 
whose  resistance  can  be  varied  at  pleasure,  then  by 

FicfJ. 


adjusting  this  latter  so  that  the  deflection  of  the  gal- 
vanometer needle  becomes  the  same  as  it  was  before 
the  change  of  resistances  was  made  this  resistance 
gives  the  value  of  our  unknown  resistance  p. 

This  method  of  testing,  known  as  the  substitution 
method,  although  exceedingly  simple,  is  a  very  good 
and  accurate  one  if  a  little  ordinary  care  be  taken  in 
making  it.  Its  correctness  is  only  limited  by  the  sensi- 
bility of  the  galvanometer  to  small  changes  of  strength 
in  the  current  affecting  it  and  by  the  accuracy  with 
which  the  variable  resistance  can  be  adjusted. 

It  should  be  mentioned,  however,  that,  for  reasons 
which  will  become  obvious  when  the  subject  of  testing 
is  gone  further  into,  the  resistance  of  the  battery  and 
galvanometer  used  in  making  a  test  of  the  kind  should 
be  small  compared  with  the  resistance  being  measured. 


128  OPERATION  AND    MAINTENANCE  OF 

4.  Next,  suppose  the  galvanometer  to  have  its  scale 
so  graduated  that  the  number  of  divisions  on  it  will, 
by  the  deflection  of  the  needle,  accurately  represent 
the  comparative  strength  (C)  of  currents  which  may 
pass  through  it.  Let  the  battery,  galvanometer,  and 
resistance  be  joined  up  as  at  first,  then,  as  before, 

C  = ^— -;  or,  E=C  {x>  +  r+G). 

p+r+G  ^ 

Now  remove  p  and  insert  any  other  known  resistance, 
R,  in  its  place.  Calling  the  new  strength  of  current  Ci, 
then 

^'=  R  +  ^+G'  orE=C,(R  +  r-\-G). 

But  we  have  seen  that  E=  C  (p  +  r  +  G);  therefore, 

C{p  +  r+G)  =  C^{R+  +G), 
or 

p  +  r+G  =-^{R  +  r+G); 

that  is, 

C 
p=-^{E  +  r+G)  -  ir+G) Formula(l). 

Now,  as  we  have  supposed  the  deflections  of  galvanom- 
eter needle  to  be  directly  proportional  to  the  strengths 
of  current  which  produce  them,  we  may,  instead  of  C 
and  (7i,  write  in  our  formulae  the  deflections  of  the 
galvanometer  needle  which  those  strengths  produce. 
Calling,  then,  a  the  deflection  obtained  with  the  strength 
C,  and  a  I  that  with  the  strength  Ci,  our  formula  (1) 
becomes 

p=^{R  +  r+G)  -{r+G) Formula  (2). 

In  order  to  find  p,  it  is  necessary  to  know  G,  which  is 
usually  marked  on  the  galvanometer  by  the  manufac- 
turer,    r  also  must  be  known,  but  as  it  is  difficult  to 


r  • 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH   LINES.  139 

determine  its  value  accurately,  it  is  best  to  use  a  battery 
whose  resistance  is  very  small  in  comparison  with  the 
other  resistances  in  the  circuit,  and  which  may  con- 
sequently be  neglected.  In  this  case  we  may  write  our 
formula 

p=:^{E+G)-G Formula  (3). 

Having  then  obtained  a  with  p  and  ai  with  R,  we  can 
find  the  value  of  p. 

For  example : 

"With  a  galvanometer  whose  resistance  was  100  ohms 
and  a  battery  whose  resistance  could  be  neglected  we 
obtained  with  an  unknown  resistance,  p,  a  deflection  of 
30  divisions  (a),  and  with  a  resistance  of  320  ohms  (R) 
in  place  of  p  a  deflection  of  20  divisions  (ai).  What 
was  the  unknown  resistance  p  ? 

p  =  I?  (320  4- 100)  -  100  =  180  ohms. 

5.  Next,  suppose  it  is  required  to  find  the  resistance 
of  a  galvanometer. 
From  equation  (3),  by  multiplying  up,  we  find  that 

pa  =  Ra  -h  Oai  —  Ga, 

and  by  arranging  the  quantities  and  changing  signs  we 
get 

Ga  —  Gai  =  Rai  —pa, 
or 

therefore, 


G{a  —  ai)=Rai—pa; 

G  =  ^^ Formula  (4). 


If,  then,  with  a  known  resistance,  p,  we  obtain  a  de- 
flection of  a  divisions,  and  with  another  known  resist- 
ance, R,  we  obtain  a  deflection  of  at  divisions,  we  can 
determine  G. 


2218- 


tSO  OPERATION  AND    MAINTENANCE  OF 

For  example : 

With  a  galvanometer  (G)  and  a  battery  whose  resist- 
ance could  be  neglected  we  obtained  with  a  resistance 
of  200  ohms  (p)  a  deflection  of  30  divisions  (a),  and 
with  a  resistance  of  350  ohms  (R)  a  deflection  of  20 
divisions  (ai).  What  was  the  resistance  of  the  galva- 
nometer ? 

^      350X20-200X30      _„    , 
^  = 30-20 =  ^^^  ^^"^'• 

6.  Lastly,  when  the  resistance  of  our  battery  is  con- 
siderable, and  it  is  required  to  find  its  value,  from  equa- 
tion (2),  by  multiplying  up,  we  find 

pa  =  Rai  +  rai  +  Gai  —ra  —  Ga ; 
by  arranging  the  quantities  and  changing  signs  we  get 

ra  —  rai  =  Rai  —  pa  -f  Gai  —  Ga, 

or 

r  (a  —  ai)  =  Rai  —  pa—  G  (a  —  ai) ; 

that  is, 

Rai  —pa      ^  -r^  -,    /^x 

r=     „■    ^    —  G Formula  (5). 

a  —  (Xi 

For  example : 

With  a  galvanometer  whose  resistance  was  100  ohms 
{G)  and  battery  (r)  we  obtained  a  resistance  in  a  cir- 
cuit of  150  ohms  (p)  a  deflection  of  40  divisions  (a),  and 
with  a  resistance  in  circuit  of  300  ohms  (i?)  a  deflection 
of  30  divisions  (ai).  What  was  the  resistance  of  the 
battery? 

300  X  30  -  150  X  40 


40-30 


100  =  200  ohms. 


7.  The  foregoing  formulae  may  be  considerably  sim- 
plified if  we  so  adjust  our  resistances  that  one  deflection 
becomes  half  the  other ;  or,  in  other  words,  if  we  take 


J 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH   LINES.  131 


a 

2" 

then  becomes 
a 

p=:^{E  +  G)-G  =  -^^-G; 

therefore, 

2p  =  R+0-2G  =  R-G, 
or 

8.  Similarly  we  should  find  that  formula  (4)  for  de- 
termining the  resistance  of  a  galvanometer  becomes 

G  =  E-2p 

and  formula  (5)  for  determining  the  resistance  of  a 
battery, 

r  =  R-(2p  +  G), 

p  being  in  all  cases  the  resistance  which  gives  the  large 
deflection,  and  JR,  being  the  larger  resistance,  which 
halves  it. 

9.  Still  further  simplifications  of  the  two  latter  for- 
mulae may  be  obtained  if,  when  observing  the  first  de- 
flection, a,  we  have  no  resistance  in  circuit  (except,  of 
course,  that  of  the  galvanometer,  or  of  the  battery,  ±lie 
resistance  of  either  of  which  we  are  measuring) ;  that  is 
to  say,  if  we  have  p  =  0,  we  then  get 

G  =  R (A) 

and 

r  =  R-G .- (B) 

That  is  to  say,  in  case  (A)  the  resistance  inserted  in 
order  to  halve  the  deflection  id  the  resistance  of  the 
galvanometer,  and  in  case  (B)  the  resistance  inserted, 
minus  the  resistance  of  the  galvanometer,  is  the  resist- 
ance of  the  battery. 


132  OPERATION   AND    MAINTENANCE   OF 

In  the  latter  case,  by  using  a  galvanometer  of  negli- 
gible resistance,  we  get 

r  =  R (C) 

The  formulae  (A)  and  (C),  although  they  have  been 
arrived  at  by  mathematical  analysis,  are  really  quite 
obvious,  since  it  must  be  clear  that  the  halving  of  the 
deflection — that  is,  of  the  current — must  be  effected  by 
doubling  the  resistance  of  the  circuit — that  is,  by  adding 
a  resistance  equal  to  the  only  resistance  which  is  in  the 
circuit  in  the  first  instance,  that  is  the  resistance  of  the 
galvanometer  or  the  battery,  as  the  case  may  be. 

10.  When  the  resistance  we  have  to  measure  is  very 
high  compared  with  the  resistance  of  the  galvanometer 
and  battery  used  for  measuring,  then  in  our  equation 
(formula  2), 

p  =  ^{R  +  r  +  G)-{r  +  G), 

we  may  practically,  especially  when  great  accuracy  of 
measurement  is  not  required,  put  O  as  well  as  r  equal 
to  0,  in  which  case 

To  measure  a  resistance  according  to  this  formula,  we 
should  first  join  up,  as  shown  by  fig.  1,  our  battery,  gal- 
vanometer, and  standard  resistance  (as  it  is  called), 
which  in  our  formula  is  R,  and  having  noted  the  de- 
flection tti,  should  multiply  the  latter  by  R;  this  gives 
us  what  is  called  the  constant,  p  (the  resistance  to  be 
determined)  is  then  inserted  in  the  place  of  jB;  a  new 
deflection,  a,  is  obtained,  by  which  we  divide  the  con- 
stant, and  thus  get  the  value  of  p. 

This  method  of  measuring  the  resistance  is  the  one 
generally  employed  in  taking  tests  for  insulation  resist- 
ance of  telegraph  lines,  the  standard  resistance,  jB,  being 
usually  1,000  ohms. 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  133 

When  the  insulation  resistances  of  several  lines  are 
to  be  measured,  the  constant  would  first  be  taken  and 
worked  out,  and  the  several  lines  to  be  measured  being 
inserted,  one  after  the  other,  in  the  place  of  the  resist- 
ance R,  the  deflections  are  noted;  then  the  constant 
being  divided  by  the  several  deflections  the  resistances 
are  thus  obtained* 

For  example : 

With  a  battery,  a  galvanometer,  and  a  resistance  of 
1,000  ohms  (R)  in  circuit,  we  obtain  a  deflection  of  20 
divisions  (ai) ;  then 

constant  =  1,000  X  20  =  20,000. 
Taking  away  our  resistance  and  inserting — 

Wire  No.  1,  we  obtain  a  deflection  of  5  divisions;  wire 
No.  2,  a  deflection  of  6  divisions ;  wire  No.  3,  a  deflection 
of  12  divisions ;  wire  No.  4,  a  deflection  of  3  divisions. 
The  resistance  of  our  wires  would  then  be — 

No.  1,  20,000  -J-    5  =  4,000  ohms ; 

No.  2,  20,000  H-    6  =  3,333  ohms ; 

No.  3,  20,000  -T- 12  =  1,666  ohms; 

No.  4,  20,000  H-  3  =  6,666  ohms. 
These  results  are  the  total  insulation  resistances  of  the 
wires,  which  may  be  of  various  lengths.  To  get  compar- 
ative results,  it  is  necessary  to  obtain  the  insulation  re- 
sistance of  some  unit  length  of  each  wire,  such  as  a  mile. 
Now,  it  will  be  readily  seen  that  the  greater  the 
length  of  the  wire  the  greater  will  be  the  leakage,  and 
consequently  the  less  will  be  the  insulation  resistance ; 
or,  in  other  words,  this  resistance  will  vary  inversely  as 
the  length  of  the  wire.  To  obtain,  then,  the  insulation 
resistance,  or  "insulation,"  as  it  is  simply  called,  all 
we  have  to  do  is  to  multiply  the  total  insulation  by  the 
length  of  the  wire.  Thus,  for  example,  if  No.  1  wire 
were  100  miles  long,  its  insulation  per  mile  would  be 
4,000  X  100  =  400,000  ohms. 


134  OPERATION  AND    MAINTENANCE  OF 

It  is  usual  to  fix  a  standard  insulation  per  mile,  and 
if  the  result  is  below  the  same  the  line  is  considered 
faulty.  Two  hundred  thousand  ohms  per  mile  is  the 
standard  adopted  by  the  Postal  Telegraph  Department. 

11.  The  rule  of  multiplying  the  total  insulation  by 
the  mileage  of  the  wire  to  get  the  insulation  per  mile 
is  not  strictly  correct,  more  especially  for  long  lines,  as 
it  assumes  that  the  leakage  is  the  same  at  every  point 
along  the  line.  This,  however,  is  clearly  not  the  case, 
as  a  little  of  the  current  leaking  out  at  one  point  leaves 
a  smaller  quantity  to  leak  out  at  the  next.  In  fact,  we 
really  measure  the  last  portion  of  the  line  with  a  weaker 
battery  than  we  do  the  first.  The  true  law  is,  however, 
somewhat  complex. 

12.  We  have  hitherto  considered  the  galvanometer 
deflections  to  be  directly  proportional  to  the  currents 
producing  them,  but  in  no  galvanometer  is  this  the  case 
if  the  deflections  are  measured  in  degrees ;  in  such  a  case 
they  are  proportional  to  some  function  of  those  degrees, 
such  as  tangent.  Thus,  if  we  were  reading  off  the  scale 
of  degrees  on  a  tangent  galvanometer — that  is  to  say,  a 
galvanometer  in  which  the  strengths  of  currents  are 
directly  proportional  to  the  tangents  of  the  angle  of 
deflection  which  those  currents  produce— we  should 
have  to  find  the  tangents  of  those  degrees  of  deflection 
before  multiplying  and  dividing. 

For  example : 

If  with  a  tangent  galvanometer  we  obtained  with 
our  standard  resistance  of  1,000  ohms  a  deflection  of  20°, 
and  with  the  unknown  resistance  {p)  a  deflection  of  15^ 
we  should  have 

^^tan  80°  X  1,000^  jgjx  1^0^^^3S8  „^„, 
tan,  15  ./iioo 

When  measuring  the  insulation  resistance  of  a  line  of 
telegraph,  having  taken  the  constant,  we  should  join 


U.  S.  MILITARY   TELEGRAPH   LINES 


135 


up  our  instruments  and  line  as  shown  in  fig.  2.  In 
making  a  measurement  of  this  kind  it  is  usual  to  have 
the  positive  pole  of  the  battery  to  earth,  so  that  a  nega- 
tive (zinc)  current  flows  out  to  the  line,  as  a  zinc  cur- 
rent will  show  best  any  defective  insulation  in  the  wire, 
a  positive  current  having  the  effect,  to  a  certain  extent, 
of  sealing  a  fault  up,  more  especially  if  the  defect  is  in 
any  underground  work  which  may  be  in  the  circuit. 


F^.2. 


Insulated, 


JSarth, 


The  foregoing  method  of  measurement  is,  as  a  rule, 
sufficiently  accurate  for  all  practical  purposes.  Greater 
accuracy  may,  however,  be  obtained  with  but  little 
extra  trouble  by  allowing  for  the  resistance  of  our  bat- 
tery and  galvanometer  in  the  following  manner : 

Instead  of  multiplying  the  constant  deflection  by  the 
1,000  ohms  standard  resistance,  multiply  it  by  1,000  i)lus 
the  resistance  of  the  galvanometer  and  battery,  and, 
having  divided  the  result  by  the  deflection  obtained 
with  the  line  wire  in  circuit,  subtract  from  the  result 
the  resistance  of  the  galvanometer  and  battery. 

For  example : 

With  a  standard  resistance  of  1,000  ohms,  a  tangent 
galvanometer  of  a  resistance  of  50  ohms,  and  a  battery 
of  a  resistance  of  100  ohms,  we  obtain  a  deflection  of 
30 %  and  with  the  line  wire  in  circuit  a  deflection  of  10°. 


136 


.OPERATION  AND    MAINTENANCE  OF 


What  was  the  exact  insulation  resistance  of  the  line  ? 
Insulation  )       tan.  30°  (1,000  +  50  +  100) 


resistance 


tan.  10 

.577X1,150 
176 


(50  +  100) 
150  =  3,760  ohms. 


In  order  to  save  calculation  it  is  very  convenient  to 
have  a  table  constructed  on  the  following  plan ; 


Constant  read- 
ings through 
1,000  ohms. 

Earth  readings. 

1° 

2° 

3°            j            4° 

20° 
21° 

22° 
23° 

24° 

20,852 
21,992 
.  23,146 
24, 318 
25, 507 

10, 423 
10, 993 
11,570 
12,155 
12, 750 

6, 945. 0 
7,324.6 
7,709.3 
8,099.5 
8,495.5 

1 

5. 205. 0 
5,489.5 

5,777.9 
6,070.2 

6. 367. 1 

In  this  table  the  first  vertical  column  represents  the 
deflections  in  degrees  obtained  with  a  tangent  galva- 
nometer through  a  standard  resistance  'of  1,000  ohms, 
and  the  top  row  of  degrees  are  the  deflections  obtained 
with  the  line  wire  in  circuit.  The  numbers  at  the 
points  of  intersection  of  a  vertical  with  a  horizontal 
column  give  the  resistances  corresponding  to  those 
deflections,  these  resistances  being  calculated  from  the 
formula 

tan.  constant  reading  x  1000. 
tan.  earth  reading. 


Insulation  resistance  =- 


Thus  the  constant  deflection,  or  reading,  with  the 
1,000  ohms  standard  resistance  being  22°,  and  the  deflec- 
tion with  the  line  wire  (the  earth  reading)  being  2', 
the  resistance  required  is  seen  at  a  glance  to  be  11,570 
ohms.     (Par.  17.) 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH    LINES.  137 

(Par.  291  from  "American  Telegraph}-.") 
WESTERN  UNION  TANGENT   GALVANOMETER. 

291.  This  form  of  tangent  galvanometer,  as  con- 
structed for  service,  is  known  as  the  Western  Union 
Standard.  The  coils  of  wire  of  the  galvanometer  are 
contained  in  a  vertical,  circular  grooved  frame.  This 
frame  is  about  six  inches  in  diameter.  The  resistance 
spools  are  inclosed  in  a  circular  box,  under  the  base  of 
the  instrument ;  the  base  is  composed  of  hard  rubber. 
The  instrument  is  supported  on  three  adjustable  legs, 
by  means  of  which  it  is  leveled.  The  needle  is  bal- 
anced on  a  jeweled  pivot ;  sometimes  it  is  suspended 
from  the  arch  of  the  coil  or  other  suitable  point.  The 
length  of  the  needle  is  |  inch. 

As  it  would  be  inconvenient  to  read  deflections  from 
the  needle  itself,  owing  to  the  small  circle  which  it 
would  describe,  there  is  fastened  to  it,  at  right  angles, 
a  long,  light  pointer  of  some  nonmagnetic  material, 
such  as  aluminum,  the  ends  of  which  extend  to  curved 
scales  on  the  circumference  of  a  dial  placed  immedi- 
ately beneath  the  ends  of  the  pointer.  Any  deflection 
of  the  needle  deflects  the  pointer  to  an  equal  angle. 
On  one-half  of  the  dial  the  degrees  of  a  circle  up  to  90°, 
on  each  side  of  a  zero,  are  marked.  When  normally  at 
rest,  the  needle,  being  then  under  the  directive  influ- 
ence of  the  earth's  magnetism  •only,  points  north  and 
south.  When  current  is  not  flowing  in  the  coil  it  is 
turned  so  as  to  be  directly  in  line  with  the  needle. 
Consequently,  the  pointer  at  such  times  will  lie  at  right 
angles  to  the  plane  of  the  coil,  and  its  ends  will  be  over 
the  zeros  of  the  scales.  When  current  is  caused  to 
flow  in  the  coil  the  needle  is  deflected,  and  the  extent 
of  this  deflection  is  shown  in  degrees  by  the  pointer. 

292.  Table  of  Tangents.— If  the  strength  of  cur- 
rents flowing  in  the  coil  were  directly  proportionate  to 


138  OPERATION   AND    MAINTENANCE   OF 

the  angles  of  deflection  of  the  needle,  we  would  know 
that  if  a  given  current  deflected  the  needle  to,  say,  20°, 
a  current  which  would  deflect  it  to  40°  would  be  of 
double  the  strength  of  the  first  current.  But  as  such  is 
not  the  case,  it  is  necessary,  in  using  the  tangent  galva- 
nometer, first  to  note  the  degrees  of  deflection  of  the 
npedle  and  then  ascertain  the  tangent  of  the  angle  of 
the  deflection. 

To  facilitate  the  finding  of  these  tangents,  a  table  of 
tangents  is  easily  employed.  In  the  following  table  it  is 
assumed  that  the  tangent  of  the  angle  of  45°  is  unity, 
or  1,  and  that  the  tangential  line  is  divided  into  any 
number  of  divisions  of  equal  length.  For  instance,  the 
tangent  of  45°  being  1,  tangent  2  represents  a  space  on 
the  line  from  1  equal  to  that  which  1  represents  from  0 
to  1,  and  so  on.  These  divisions  are  assumed  to  be  di- 
vided again  into  100  or  1,000  parts.  Thus,  by  reference 
to  the  table  it  is  found  that  the  tangent  of  20°  is  0.364— 
that  is,  xVoV  of  1. 

These  tables  are  then  used  in  the  following  way : 

For  example,  assume  that  the  needle  is  deflected  by  a 
given  current  to  an  angle,  of  20°,  and  that  a  different 
current  deflects  it  to  an  angle  of  36°.  By  reference  to 
the  table  of  tangents  it  is  found  that  the  tangent  of  20° 
is  0.364  and  the  tangent  of  36°,  0.728.  As  the  currents 
in  question  are  proportional  to  these  tangents,  it  is  evi- 
dent that  the  last  current  has  twice  the  strength  of  the 
first,  since  0.364  is  to  0.728  as  1  is  to  2. 

Knowing  this  law,  then,  and  utilizing  it  in  connection 
with  Ohm's  law,  it  is  quite  easy  to  avail  of  it  in  testing. 
For  instance,  if  with  a  given  electro-motive  force  and  a 
given  resistance  in  a  circuit  a  deflection  of  36°  is  ob- 
tained, and  with  the  same  electro-motive  force  but  a  dif- 
ferent resistance  20°  is  obtained,  we  conclude  that  this 
last  resistance  is  just  double  that  of  the  former.     For, 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  139 

as  we  have  just  seen,  since  the  tangent  of  20°  is  .364, 
namely,  half  that  of  the  tangent  of  the  angle  of  36^, 
which  is  .728,  it  follows  that  the  current  strength  must 
have  been  halved  to  cause  the  diminished  deflection, 
and,  by  Ohm's  law,  it  is  known  th'at  with  a  constant 
electro-motive  force  the  halving  of  the  current  strength 
in  a  circuit  must  be  due  to  a  doubling  of  the  resist- 
ance, etc. 

In  some  forms  of  tangent  galvanometers  one-half  of 
the  circumference  of  the  dial  is  allotted  to  a  scale  on 
which  the  tangent  of  the  angle,  instead  of  the  degree  of 
the  angle,  is  marked.  This  avoids  reference  to  a  table 
in  calculating  results,  and  when  rough  results  only  are 
desired  it  is  a  convenient  arrangement,  but  when  greater 
accuracy  is  required  the  table  should  be  referred  to. 


140 


OPERATION  AND   MAINTENANCE  OF 

Table  of  tangents. 


Degrees. 

Tangents. 

Degrees. 

Tangents. 

1 

1  Degrees. 

Tangents. 

1.00 

.0175 

9.75 

.1718 

18.50 

.3346 

1.25 

.0218 

10.00 

.1763 

18.75 

.  3395 

1.50 

.0262 

10.25 

.1808 

19.00 

.3443 

1.75 

.0306 

10.50 

.1853 

19.25 

.3492 

2.00 

.0349 

10.75 

.1899 

19.50 

.3541 

2.25 

.0393 

11.00 

.1944 

19.75 

.3590 

2.50 

.0437 

11'.  25 

.1989 

20.00 

.3640 

2.75 

.0480 

11.50 

.2035 

20.25 

.3689 

3.00 

.  0524 

11.75 

.2080 

20.50 

.3739 

3.25 

.0568 

12.00 

.2126 

20.75 

.3789 

3.50 

.0612 

12.25 

.2171 

21.00 

.3839 

3.75 

.0655 

12.50 

.2212 

21.25 

.3889 

4.00 

.0699 

12.75 

.2263 

21.50 

.3939 

4.25 

.0743 

13.00 

.2309 

21.75 

.3990 

4.50 

.0787 

13.25 

.2355 

22.00 

.4040 

4.75 

.0831 

13.50 

.2401 

22.25 

.4091 

5.00 

.0875 

13.  75 

.2447 

22.50 

.4142 

5.25 

.0919 

14.00 

.2493 

22.75 

.4193 

5.50 

.0963 

14.25 

.2540 

23.00 

.4245 

5.75 

.1007 

14.50 

.2586 

23.25 

.4296 

6.00 

.1051 

14.75 

.2633 

23.50 

.4348 

6.25 

.1095 

15.00 

.2679 

23.75 

.4400 

6.50 

.1139 

15.25 

.2726 

24.00 

.4452 

6.75 

.1184 

15.50 

.2773 

24.25 

.4505 

7.00 

.1228 

15.75 

.2820 

24.50 

.4557 

7.25 

.1272 

16.00 

.2867 

24.75 

.4610 

7.50 

.1317 

16.25 

.2915 

25.00 

.4663 

7.75 

.1361 

16.50 

.2962 

j  25.25 

.4716 

8.00 

.1405 

16.75 

.3010 

25.50 

.4770 

8.25 

.1450 

17.00 

.3075 

25.75 

.4823 

8.50 

.1495 

17.25 

.3105 

26.00 

.4877 

8.75 

.1539 

17.50 

-.3153 

26.25 

.4931 

9.00 

.1584 

17.75 

.3201 

1  26.50 

.4980 

9.25 

.1629 

18.00 

.3249 

26.75 

.5040 

9.50 

.1673 

18.25 

I 

.3298 

'  27.00 

.5095 

U.  S.  MILITARY   TELEGRAPH   LINES. 


141 


Table 

of  tangents — Continued. 

Degrees. 

Tangents. 

Degrees. 

Tangents. 

Degrees. 

Tangents. 

27.25 

.5150 

36.00 

.7265 

44.75 

.9913 

27.50 

.5206 

36.25 

.7332 

45.00 

1.0000 

27.75 

.5261 

36.50 

.7400 

45.25 

1.0176 

28.00 

.5317 

36.75 

.7467 

45.50 

1.0088 

28.25 

.5373 

37.00 

.7536 

45.75 

1.0265 

28.50 

.5430 

37.25 

.7604 

46.00 

1.0355 

28.75 

.5486 

1  37.50 

.7673 

46.25 

1.0446 

29.00 

.5543 

j  37. 75 

.7743 

46.50 

1.0538 

29.25 

.5600 

1  38.00 

.7813 

46.75 

1.0630 

29.50 

.5658 

38.25 

.7883 

47.00 

1.0724 

29.75 

.5715 

38.50 

.7954 

47.25 

1.0818 

80.00 

.5774 

38.75 

.8026 

47.50 

1.0913 

80.25 

.5832 

39.00 

.8098 

47.75 

1.1009 

80.50 

.5890 

39.35 

.8170 

48.00 

1. 1106 

30.75 

.5949 

39.50 

.8243 

48.25 

1.1204 

31.00 

.6009 

39.75 

.8317 

48.50 

1.1303 

31.25 

.6068 

40.00 

.8391 

48.75 

1.1403 

31.50 

.6128 

40.25 

.8466 

49.00 

1.1504 

31.75 

.6188 

40.50 

.8541 

49.25 

1.1606 

32.00 

.6249 

40.75 

.8617 

49.50 

1.1708 

32.25 

.6310 

41.00 

.8693 

49.75 

1. 1812 

32.50 

.6371 

41.25 

.8770 

50.00 

1.1918 

32.75 

.6432 

41.50 

.8847 

50.25 

1.2024 

33.00 

.6494 

41.75 

.8925 

50.50 

1.2131 

33.25 

.6556 

42.00 

.  9004  ! 

50.75 

1.2239 

33.50 

.6619 

43.25 

.9083 

51.00 

1.2349 

33.75 

.6682 

42.50 

.9163 

51.25 

1.2460 

34.00 

.6745 

42.75 

.9243 

51.50 

1.2571 

34.25 

.6809 

43.00 

.9325 

51.75 

1 . 2685 

34.50 

.6873 

43.25 

.9407 

52.00 

1.2799 

34.75 

.6937 

43.50 

.9490 

52.25 

1.3915 

35.00 

.7002 

43.75 

.9573 

52.50 

1.3033 

35.25 

.7067 

44.00 

.9657 

52.75 

1.3151 

35.50 

.7133 

44.25 

.9742 

53.00 

1.3370 

35.75 

.7199 

44.50 

.9827 

53.25 

1.3393 

142 


OPERATION  AND    MAINTENANCE  OF 


Table 

of  ^ang^ew^s— Continued. 

Degrees. 

Tangents.     \ 

Degrees. 

Tangents. 

Degrees. 

Tangents, 

53.50 

! 

»  1.3514  1 

62.25 

1.9007 

71.00 

2. 9042 

53.75 

1.3638  \ 

62.50 

1.9210 

71.25 

2.9460 

54. 00 

1.3764  1 

62.75 

1.9416 

71.50 

2.9887 

54.25 

1.3891  1 

63.00 

1.9626 

71.75 

3.0326 

54.50 

1.4019  j 

63.25 

1.9840 

72.00 

3.0777 

54.75 

1.4150 

63.50 

2.0057 

72.25 

3. 1240 

55.00 

1.4281 

63.75 

2.0278 

72.50 

3.1716 

55.25 

1.4415 

64.00 

2.0503 

72.75 

3.2205 

55.50 

1.4551 

64.25 

2.0732 

73.00 

3.2709 

55.75 

1.4687 

64.50 

2. 0965 

73.25 

3.3226 

56.00 

1.4826 

64.75 

2. 1203 

73.50 

3.3759 

56.25 

1.4966 

65.00 

2.1445 

73.75 

3.4308 

56.50 

1.5108 

65.25 

2. 1693 

74.00 

3.4874 

56.75 

1.5253 

;  65.50 

2. 1943 

74.25 

3.5457 

57.00 

1.5399 

1  65.75 

2.2199 

74.50 

3. 6059 

57.25 

1.5547 

66.00 

2.2460 

74.75 

3. 6680 

57.50 

1.5697 

!  66.25 

2.2727 

75.00 

3.7321 

57.75 

1.5849 

I  66.50 

2.2998 

75.25 

8.7983 

58.00 

1.6003 

1  66. 75 

2.3276 

75.50 

3.8687 

58.25 

1.6160 

j  67.00 

2. 3559 

75.75 

3. 9375 

58.50 

1.6319 

67.25 

2.3850 

76.00 

4.0108 

58.75 

1.6479 

67.50 

2.4142 

76.25 

4.0867 

59.00 

1.6643 

67.75 

2.4443 

76.50 

4.1653 

59.25 

1.  6808 

68.00 

2.4751 

76.75 

4.2468 

59.50 

1.6977 

:  68.25 

2. 5065 

77.00 

4.3315 

59.75 

1.7147 

68.50 

2.5386 

77.25 

4.4194 

60.00 

1.7321 

68.75 

2.5715 

77.50 

4.5107 

60.25 

1.7450 

i  69.00 

2.  6051 

77. 75 

4.6057 

60.50 

1.  7675 

\  69.25 

2.  6395 

78.00 

4. 7046 

60.75 

1.7856 

\  69.50 

1 

2.6746 

78.25 

4. 8077 

61.00 

1.8040 

69.75 

2.7100 

78.50 

4.9152 

61.25 

1.8228 

70.00 

2.7475 

78.75 

5.  0273 

61.50 

1      1.8418 

70.25 

2. 7852 

79.00 

5.1446 

61.75 

!      1.8611 

70.50 

2.8239 

79.25 

5.2672 

62.00 

1.8807 

70.75 

2.8636 

79.50 

5. 3955 

U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH   LINES. 


143 


TahU 

5  of  fangren^s— Continued. 

Degrees. 

Tangents. 

Degrees. 

Tangents. 

Degrees. 

Tangents. 

79.75 

5.5301 

!  83.50 

8. 7769 

87.25 

20.8188 

80.00 

5.6718 

i  83.75 

9. 1309 

87.50 

22. 9038 

80.25 

5.8197 

i  84.00 

9.5144 

87.75 

25.4517 

80.50 

5.9758 

;  84.25 

9.9310 

88.00 

28. 6363 

80.75 

6. 1402 

'  84.50 

10. 3854  ' 

88.25 

32. 7303 

81.00 

6.  3138 

84.  75 

10.8829  : 

88.50 

38. 1885 

81.25 

6.4971 

'  85.00 

11.4301  , 

88.75 

45. 8294 

81.50 

6.6912 

85.25 

12.0346 

89.00 

57. 2900 

81.75 

6.8969 

85.  50 

12.7062  , 

89.25 

76.3900 

82.00 

7. 1154 

85.  75 

13.4566  ! 

89.50 

114.5887 

82.25 

7.3479 

86.00 

14.3007  \ 

89.75 

229. 1817 

82.50 

7.5958 

!  86.25 

15.2571 

90.00 

00 

82.75 

7.8606 

86.50 

16.3499  ! 

83.00 

8.1443 

86.75 

17.6106  ' 

83.25 

8.4490 

87.00 

19.0811 

INSTRUCTIONS  FOR  THE  USE  OF  TELEPHONES. 

293.  All  officers  to  whom  telephones  are  issued  will 
thoroughly  familiarize  themselves  with  their  construc- 
tion, their  use,  and  the  means  of  discovering  and  cor- 
recting the  usual  faults  which  may  develop  during 
service,  and  they  are  charged  with  seeing  that  the  fol 
lowing  rules  are  strictly  enforced : 

The  dismounting  of  any  part  of  the  telephone,  even 
by  experts,  will  only  be  resorted  to  when  absolutely 
necessary  to  secure  satisfactory  communication. 

Only  those  who  are  familiar  with  the  instrument  will 
be  allowed  to  disconnect  the  various  parts  of  or  dis- 
mount the  instrument.  The  windings  of  the  armature, 
coils  of  call  bell,  and  bobbin  of  receiver  should  never  be 
unwound.  The  diaphragms  of  the  receiver  and  trans- 
mitter are  not  to  be  disturbed — e.  g. ,  by  poking  with  a 


144  OPERATION  AND    MAINTENANCE    OF 

pencil,  etc.  The  battery  connections  and  tops  of  cells 
are  to  be  kept  clean  and  free  from  salts,  solutions  np  to 
proper  strength,  and  water  up  to  water  line  on  cells. 
In  case  of  failure  to  work,  all  circuits,  both  inside  and 
out  of  the  instrument,  should  be  carefully  inspected 
and  the  tests  mentioned  below  applied.  In  case  remedy 
can  not  be  applied  at  post,  report  circumstance  to  signal 
officer  in  charge. 

Connect,  using  office  wire,  line  post  to  line  and 
ground  post  to  ground  plate,  which  should  be  of  ample 
size  and  located  in  damp  earth.  One  end  of  wire 
should  be  firmly  soldered  to  ground  plate  and  other  end 
attached  to  ground  post.  The  wire  should  be  as  straight 
as  possible,  without  unnecessary  bends  or  convolutions. 

During  all  storms,  or  when  left  on  target  range  over 
night,  lightning  arresters  should  be  short-circuited  by 
inserting  plug  in  the  hole  between  the  plates. 

When  using  instrument,  call  by  briskly  turning  the 
handle  of  the  call  box  and  wait  until  call  is  answered  by 
a  ring  before  unhooking  the  receiver;  when  through 
talking,  hook  up  the  receiver  and  ring  off.  Never  leave 
the  instrument  with  the  receiver  off  the  hook. 

294.  Faults  and  their  Location.— Under  ordinary 
conditions  of  line  and  when  instruments  are  in  adjust- 
ment faults  are  not  liable  to  be  developed.  If  a  fault  de- 
velops, the  first  thing  to  do  is  to  thoroughly  inspect  the 
circuits  of  the  magneto  call  box,  transmitter,  and  re- 
ceiver, see  that  all  wires  are  intact,  contact  points 
bright,  all  screw  contacts  tight,  no  wires  touching  or 
crossing  each  other,  soldered  joints  firm,  the  automatic 
cut-out  working  freely,  back  and  front  contacts  good, 
and  plates  of  lightning  arrester  and  space  between 
them  free  from  dust  or  metallic  particles. 

The  usual  faults  are  developed  under  one  of  the  fol- 
lowing conditions :  First,  station  can  not  ring ;  second, 
station  can  ring,  but  speech  can  not  be  heard  in  either 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH  LINES.  145 

direction ;  third,  station  can  ring  and  can  hear,  but  can 
not  be  heard.  In  the  first  case  the  fault  is  either  in  the 
call  box  or  on  the  line ;  in  the  second  case  the  speaking 
circuit  is  either  short-circuited  or  there  is  some  break 
in  the  connections ;  in  the  third  case  the  fault  is  in  the 
primary  circuit  of  the  transmitter  and  due  to  bad  cell, 
bad  contact  in  automatic  cut-out,  a  break  or  short 
circuit  in  the  primary  or  secondary  coil  of  the  trans- 
mitter, or,  in  the  case  of  a  solid-back  transmitter, 
broken  mica  diaphragm,  which  has  allowed  the  carbon 
particles  to  escape  from  between  the  carbon  electrodes. 
When  station  can  not  ring,  short-circuit  the  line  and 
ground  posts  of  the  instrument  by  a  short  piece  of  wire, 
and  if  on  turning  the  crank  the  bell  rings,  the  fault  is 
not  in  the  box  itself  but  on  the  line. 

The  following  are  the  usual  faults  in  the  different 
parts  of  the  instrument : 

Receiver. — Diaphragm  too  close  to  pole  piece,  not 
allowing  sufficient  space  for  vibration.  This  is  fre- 
quently caused  by  the  receiver  having  been  dropped ; 
remedy,  carefully  tap  the  magnets  back  into  case  with 
a  hammer.  Diaphragm  buckled,  caused  by  having  been 
poked  with  a  pencil,  etc. ;  replace  with  a  new  one.  Dirt 
between  pole  piece  and  diaphragm ;  remedy,  wipe  pole 
piece  and  diaphragm  with  a  piece  of  soft  cloth.  Bad 
soldered  connections  between  terminals  and  wires  lead- 
ing to  coils;  this  produces  an  intermittent  fault,  and 
can  be  detected  by  pressing  on  the  terminals  in  different 
directions  while  listening  and  blowing  on  the  transmit- 
ter. Short  circuit  in  receiver  cords,  due  to  defective 
insulation  of  the  cords ;  it  is  tested  for  by  detaching  cord 
from  receiver  and  box  and  placing  the  two  terminals 
from  the  same  end  of  the  cords  on  line  and  ground  posts 
of  magneto  box  and  turning  handle  of  magneto  box ;  if 
the  cord  can  be  rung  through  there  is  a  short  circuit, 
and  a  new  cord  is  necessary. 

2218 10 


146  OPERATION   AND    MAINTENANCE  OF 

Transmitter,  Long-distance. — Open  circuit  in  trans- 
mitter, caused  by  breaking  of  mica  washer  and  parti- 
cles of  carbon  running  out  between  the  electrodes ;  this 
can  be  detected  by  inspection. 

Magneto  Call  Box. — In  the  magneto  call  box  short 
circuits  are  sometimes  caused  by  particles  of  brass  being 
ground  off  the  driving  gear  and  falling  across  wires ;  a 
thorough  dusting  of  the  box  will  overcome  this.  The 
sticking  and  not  making  contact  for  speaking  of  the 
automatic  cut-out  switch  when  receiver  is  removed  may 
be  remedied  by  strengthening  the  spring,  cleaning  the 
bearings,  and  thoroughly  lubricating  with  black  lead. 
Oil  must  not  be  used,  as  it  serves  to  collect  dust  and 
dirt.  Bad  contacts  on  lever  can  be  corrected  by  scraping 
surfaces  bright  and  black-leading  them.  In  case  the 
contact  springs  do  not  touch,  bend  them  over  until  they 
do.  Weak  polarized  magnets  for  bells  should  be  re- 
placed and  the  bells  so  adjusted  that  the  hammer  moves 
freely  between  them,  striking  each  in  succession.  See 
that  the  plug  for  lightning  arrester  is  not  in  circuit. 

Batteries. — Cracked  cells,  allowing  solution  to  run 
away,  loose,  dirty,  or  corroded  terminals,  faulty  con- 
nection of  wire  to  zinc  rod,  zinc  rod  used  up,  solution 
too  low  or  too  weak.  The  battery  should  be  kept  filled 
between  the  water  lines  marked  on  the  cell,  the  top  kept 
thoroughly  clean  and  free  from  salts,  and  the  solution 
up  to  proper  strength,  otherwise  good  results  can  not  be 
obtained  from  the  transmitter.  All  directions  neces- 
sary for  the  setting  up  of  the  Leclanche  cell,  supplied 
with  the  instrument,  are  to  be  found  on  the  printed 
directions  attached  to  the  cell. 

295.  The  following  books  are  furnished  to  officers  in 
charge  of  lines : 

American  Telegraphy,  Maver. 

Manual  of  Telephony,  Preece  and  Stubs. 

Practical  Telegraphy,  Cully. 


U.  S.  MILITARY  TELEGRAPH   LINES.  147 

Dynamo  Electric  Machinery,  vols.  1  and  2,  S.  P. 
Thompson. 

Kempe's  Handbook  on  Electrical  Testing. 

Book  on  Wiring,  Roebling. 

The  Voltaic  Cell,  Park  Benjamin, 

Electricity  and  Electric  Telegraphy,  Prescott. 

Bloxam's  Chemistry,  Organic  and  Inorganic,  Thomas 
and  Bloxam. 

Handbook  of  Electric  Telegraphy,  Lockwood. 

Electrical  Dictionary,  Houston. 

The  Electric  Telegraph,  Pope. 

Text-book  of  Physics,  Everett. 

The  Electrical  Engineer's  Pocket  Book,  Kempe. 

Instructions  for  the  Use  of  Telephones,  Reber. 

Instructions  for  Use  of  Voltmeter  and  Ammeter,  Sig- 
nal Office. 

WIRE. 

296.  Except  for  special  purposes,  where  the  specifica- 
tions must  be  clearly  set  forth,  requisitions  for  wire  will 
be  confined  to  the  following-named  classes,  which  com- 
prise the  standard  wires  of  this  service : 

Galvanized -iron  wire,  No.  9  (see  Specifications,  par. 
229).     Adopted  for  use  in  permanent  lines. 

Galvanized- iron  wire,  No.  14  (see  par.  229) .  This  may 
be  used  for  semipermanent  lines,  or  where  the  distance 
is  comparatively  short. 

Hard-drawn  copper  wire  (generally  No.  10  or  12). 
Used  for  permanent  telephone  lines,  or  in  other  special 
cases. 

Seven -stranded  wire,  consisting  of  one  copper  wire 
overlaid  by  six  steel  wires.  (About  100  pounds  per  mile, 
with  breaking  strain  of  500  pounds. )  It  is  designed  for 
use  with  the  fiying  telegraph  train. 


148  OPERATION  AND    MAINTENANCE   OF 

Aluminum-bronze  wire  (weighs  about  8  pounds  to  the 
mile).  This  is  used  in  connection  with  hand  reels  for 
connecting  outposts  at  short  distances. 

"Seven-stranded  wire,  mentioned  above,  insulated  and 
braided.  Weighs  about  240  pounds  to  the  mile,  and  is 
generally  run  out  from  reels  placed  on  cable  wagon,  or 
may  be  run  out  with  litter  reels.  It  is  used  when  lances 
or  poles  are  not  available ;  also  for  temporary  lines  on 
the  ground  or  through  marshes  and  woods.  Should  be 
replaced  by  aerial  lines  and  recovered  as  soon  as  possible. 

Lead-covered  cable,  containing  appropriate  number 
insulated  conductors,  to  be  used  underground  in  connec- 
tion with  fire-control  or  cable  system. 

Inside  twisted  pair,  for  office  or  telephone,  used  inside 
houses  or  through  perfectly  dry  places.  Can  not  be  sub- 
jected to  strain  or  moisture. 

Outside  twisted  pair,  insulated,  hard-drawn  copper 
conductor,  used  for  outside  work  and  for  damp  places. 
Each  wire  has  a  breaking  strength  of  200  pounds. 

Single  outside  wire,  the  same  as  one  conductor  of  the 
outside  twisted  pair,  for  leading-in  purposes. 

Light  copper-armored  cable,  to  be  used  for  river  cross- 
ings or  temporary  work  for  connecting  ships  with  shore. 
Weighs  387  pounds  per  mile. 

Office  wire,  paraffin  insulation,  No.  14  or  18,  used  for 
making  ordinary  office  connections. 

PRINCIPAL  INSTRUMENTS  FURNISHED. 

297.  1.  Morse  relay,  key,  and  sounder. 

2.  Main-line  sounder. 

3.  Pocket  relays. 

4.  Repeaters. 

5.  Duplex  and  quadruplex  instruments. 

6.  Vibrator,  type  "D."  This  instrument  sends  vibra- 
tory currents  of  high  intensity,  to  be  used  on  badly 


U.  S.  MILITARY   TELEGRAPH   LINES.  149 

insulated  wire.  It  may  also  be  superimposed  on  the 
ordinary  Morse  circuit,  and  used  in  connection  there- 
with either  for  telegraphing  or  telephoning. 

7.  Vibrator,  type  "C,"  used  for  the  same  purpose  as 
vibrator,  type  "D,"  but  in  addition  sends  a  current  that 
gives  the  ordinary  Morse  sounds  on  the  telephone.  In 
this  vibrator  there  is  a  condenser  connected  with  the 
instrument,  and  in  placing  it  on  the  Morse  line  it  is  only 
necessary  to  place  condensers  around  the  Morse  instru- 
ments in  circuit.  At  terminal  stations  vibrators,  whether 
of  tpye  "C"  or  "D,"  must  be  placed  in  front  of  Morse 
instruments. 

8.  Portable  telephone,  iypQ  "E,"  containing  call  box, 
head  receiver,  and  transmitter. 

9.  Wall-set  telephones. 

10.  Desk-set  telephones. 

All  of  the  above  telephones  are  of  the  bridging  type. 

11.  Condensers,  ^  and  y^  micro-farad,  used  for  placing 
vibratory  system  on  Morse  circuit. 

12.  Voltmeter  and  ammeter. 

13.  Resistance  coils. 

BATTERIES. 

298.  Batteries  furnished  are  Eagle,  Callaud,  Le- 
clanche,  dry,  and  storage. 


INDEX. 


Paragraph. 

Act  of  Congress  for  protection  of  military  telegraph  lines 231 

Accounts  current 196 

By  officers  in  charge 129 

Disposition  of,  at  this  office 132 

Stations,  this  lines  receipts 126 

Other  lines  receipts 127 

When  to  be  forwarded 128 

Annual  supply  table 233 

Arresters,  lightning,  care  of 31 

Auction  sales,  proceeds,  how  accounted  for 197 

Batteries 228-292 

Distribution  of  power 288 

Caring  for 21, 22, 23 

To  be  cleaned  and  renewed  in  sections 21 

Chief  operators  responsible  tor  good  condition  of 16,21 

Working  several  lines  from 289 

Battery  cells  or  jars 203 

Battery  coppers 23, 228 

Bicycles,  care  of ;_  227 

Bills  and  vouchers 146, 157, 158 

Bills,  this  line  against  other  lines 143, 144 

Other  lines  against  this  line 140, 141 

Boards  of  survey 175, 176, 178, 196, 206 

Books  furnished  officer  in  charge 296 

Boxes,  call,  magneto 194 

Cable  code 280 

Callaud  battery,  directions  for  setting  up 228 

Call  bells 29. 199 

Calls.     (See  OfBce  calls.) 

Cash  books 116 

Certificates  of  expenditure. 19*3, 196, 202 

Check  errors,  record  of 147,153 

Adjustment  of 62, 63 

Check  ledger,  how  kept 112,113 

Check  report 114 

(161) 


152  INDEX. 


Paragraph. 

Chief  operator,  duties  of 16,17,18,19,20,21,23,29,157 

Eecommendations  to  be  made  by 19 

Chief  Signal  Officer 117,118,129,156, 

161, 162, 163, 165, 166, 168, 171, 190, 197,  208,  214,215,  217, 219, 233 

Army  and  Navy  signal  codes 275 

General  duties  of 267 

Instruction  and  practice  in  signaling 274 

Signal  Corps  sergeants 269,  270 

Signaling  operations  in  the  field . 271 

Signal  supplies 276 

Circuit,  contention  for,  prohibited 39 

Communications,  official ^- 214, 215, 216,  217 

Condemned  property,  how  disposed  of 197 

Connections,  battery 203 

Coppers,  battery 23, 228 

Damages,  claims  for 78 

Delivery  of  messages.     (See  also  Messages.) 

Notice  of,  may  be  telegraphed  to  sender 60 

Free  witliin  limits  of  town 71 

By  special  messenger,  money  received  for 106 

Disbursing  officer,  not  authorized  to  draw  checks  in  his  own  favor 279 

Duplication  of  messages  to  be  avoided 63 

Employees,  civilian,  employment  of 154,156 

Final  settlement  with 155,210 

Enemy,  information  of,  to  be  telegraphed 4 

Enlisted  men ' 3,4, 

7, 154, 161, 164-168, 175, 176, 195, 198,  207, 210, 212, 213,  210,  217 

Returning  to  the  United  States 162 

Estimate  for  Signal  Corps  stores 220 

Errors  in  mes-ages  received 62 

In  checks.     {See  Check  errors.) 

In  property  papers 199,208,209 

Responsibility  for 58 

Error  cards 149, 150, 151 

Sheets 148,152 

Expendable  property 200 

Field  glasses 3, 182, 19 

Final  payment  of  employees 155,210 

Tranks  granted  by  the  Chief  Signal  Officer 87 

Galvanometer,  W.  U.  tangent . 291 

Ground  plates,  wires,  how  connected 28,287 

When  not  to  use 30 

Ground,  use  of,  at  intermediate  stations 29,30 


INDEX.  153 

Paragraph. 
Heliographs 182, 199 

Hours  of  duty 34,36 

To  be  reduced  on  Sundays  and  holidays 38 

Temporary  absence 37 

Indians,  hostile,  information  concerning,  to  be  telegraphed 4 

Injury  to  telegraph  lines,  penalty  of 231,2.32 

Inspection  of  property 182 

Instruments,  telegraph,  unauthorized  uso  of,  prohibited 10 

Number  on  hand  to  be  reported  when  making  requisition 14 

When  to  cut  off,  from  line 30,32 

Kind  needed  at  each  office 27 

Furnished,  principal  ones 291 

How  to  connect 28 

Transfer  of,  between  offices  not  allowed 15 

Adjustment  of :    51 

Insulators 204 

Inventory  and  inspection  returns 182,184 

Inventory  of  property 173 

.Jars,  battery 199, 203 

Journal,  telegraph,  to  be  kept  by  chief  operators 17 

Copy  of,  to  be  forwarded  monthly 1 18 

Offices  to  be  referred  to  by  name 18 

Ledger.    (See  Check  ledger.) 

Kept  by  officer  in  charge 124 

Lightning  arresters,  care  of 31 

Line  material,  when  expendable 204 

Line  receipts  "This  line:" 

Definition  of _ -  97, 98 

Must  be  covered  into  United  States  Treasury 97 

*  To  be  accounted  for  separately 99 

Remittances  of. 117,118,119,120,121 

How  deposited  by  officer  in  charge 122 

Line  receii)ts  "Other  lines:" 

Definition  of 97, 99 

To  be  accounted  for  separately 99 

For  special  delivery  or  postage 139 

Remittances  of 116, 126 

To  be  turned  over  to  commercial  companies 116,123 

Line  telegraph  _._ - -  122,193,204,230-232 

List  of  expendable  property 201 

List  of  forms  issued - 236 

Loss  of  property,  action  to  be  taken 196,206 

Mail,  messages  forwarded  by —  106 


154  INDEX. 

Paragraph. 

Mail  packages 226 

To  be  registered 125,225,226 

Memorandum  receipts 212 

Messages,  telegraph: 

OflBcial,  to  pass  free  over  military  lines 6, 64, 101 

Character  of,  to  be  verified 85 

OflBcial,  to  have  precedence  over  all  others 64 

How  checked 101, 102, 105 

Government  rates  for 89 

On  War  Department  business,  hovir  checked 85, 101 

War  Department,  monthly  statement  of 103 

War  Department,  original  copies  of,  to  be  sent  to  disbursing 

quartermasters „ 104 

Transmission  of  names  in 57 

Messages  not  to  be  destroyed 81 

Private,  conditions  under  which  transmitted 6,86 

To  be  considered  in  care  and  trust  of  Government 7 

Information  concerning,  not  to  be  given  except  as  provided 7 

Copies  of,  not  to  be  furnished  except  by  proper  authority 8 

Conditions  when  copies  of,  may  be  exhibited 9 

Strict  privacy  of,  to  be  observed 7,8 

Must  be  written  on  form 40, 41 

Press,  treatment  of,  in  active  service 86 

Order  of  transmission  of 42 

Order  of  transmitting  the  several  parts  of 83, 86 

Date  and  time  of  filing  to  be  noted  on 47 

Must  be  carefully  read  before  sending 48 

Must  be  transmitted  as  received 53 

Containing  improper  language  not  to  be  accepted 55 

Number  of  and  time  of  sending  must  be  noted  on 61, 67 

Time  of  receipt  to  be  noted  on 67 

Transferred  to  other  lines 43, 107 

Transferred  to  other  lines  where  two  or  more  are  available—  44, 45, 46 

To  be  filed  for  future  reference 81 

Betained  copies,  how  destroyed 81 

Delivery  of,  may  be  reported  by  telegraph 60 

Supposed  errors  in 62 

Duplication  of G3 

Where  from  and  destination  to  be  written  out  in  full 67 

Repeated  back  when  requested 68 

Relaying  of 69,  70 

Free  delivery  of,  where  made 71 

Receipts  for,  to  be  obtained  and  preserved 73 


INDEX.  155 

Paragraph. 
Messages,  telegraph — Continued. 

Nondelivery  of,  to  be  explained 73,76 

Delivery  by  mail  or  special  messenger 106 

Answers  to,  how  to  obtain 72, 77 

Claims  for  damages  for  loss  of  or  error  in 78,79 

Checking  of,  rules  for 92,93,94 

Number  of  words  in,  must  agree  with  check 84 

Counting  words,  rules  for 92,93,94 

Numbers  or  figures  in 96 

Cipher,  how  to  count  and  charge  for ^  95, 96 

Cipher  or  preconcerted,  require  signature  of  commanding  officer 6 

Address  of  sender  of 49 

Not  to  be  sent  from  dictation 64 

Transmission  of,  to  be  regulated  to  suit  ability  of  receiver 56  « 

Office,  limits  of  use  of ;  preference  over  private 65,66 

Instructions  for  delivery  of 74, 76 

Undelivered,  disposition  of . 80 

Night  rates 96 

Tariff  of  rates  for  private 1 96 

Rates  for  Government 89 

When  to  be  transmitted  free 87 

If  not  free,  must  be  prepaid  or  guaranteed 100, 109 

Responsibility  for  charges  on,  when  sent  collect 108, 110,  111 

Criticising  military  operations  not  to  be  sent 6 

Checking  of,  rules  for,  in  Cuba,  Porto  Rico,  Hawaii,  and  Philip- 
pine Islands 93, 94, 96 

Checking  of,  rules  for,  in  the  United  States 93, 94, 96 

Statement  of  uncollected 134, 135, 137, 138 

Guaranteed 100, 109, 135, 136 

Messenger,  special,  money  for 106 

Military  colleges 211, 222 

Military  telegraph  lines 1, 3, 7, 42, 98, 107 

Commanding  officer 2, 4, 6, 8, 272 

Confidential  communication . 273 

Messages ___  273 

Signal  officer 272 

Money  accounts.     {See  Line  recpipts.) 

Money  value  of  articles,  how  accounted  for 196 

Muster  rolls  and  pay  rolls . 161 

Night  messages,  tariff  on 96 

Nomenclature  not  to  be  changed 189, 190 

Office,  accepted  messages  to  be  transmitted  before  closing 36 

Office  calls,  how  sent  and  answered 62 


156  INDEX. 

Paragraph. 

Officers  in  charge 10, 18, 20,  24, 38, 39, 86, 88, 90, 115, 122, 126, 127, 132, 141, 

144, 145, 147, 149-151, 153, 156, 157, 160, 163, 165, 166, 168, 207, 217 

Remittances  made  to 1 17, 118, 119, 121 

Deposits  to  be  made  by 122, 123, 124, 125 

,        Settlements  by,  with  other  lines 116,125 

Accounts  current  rendered  by 129 

Final  settlement  with  civilians  by 155,210 

Reports  of  funds  to  be  rendered  by 129, 159 

Forms  to  be  rendered  by 159 

Ledger  to  be  kept  by ; 124 

Official  messages.     {See  Messages.) 

Oil  for  signaling 221 

Operators,  duties  of_ 2, 4, 6, 12, 13,  22, 24, 26, 34, 39, 50, 52, 53, 56-59, 61-63, 

72, 73, 77, 78,  84, 103, 108, 116, 118, 126, 142, 144, 150-152, 156, 157 
Prohibited  from  contracting  debts  or  obligations  on  account  of 

Government 11 

Care  of  batteries  by 21,22,23 

Hours  of  duty 34,35 

Information  concerning  matters  not  understood 236 

Temporary  absence  of 37 

Orders,  copies  of,  to  be  furnished  Chief  Signal  Officer 163 

Personal  reports  of  enlisted  men 165 

Poles,  telegraph 203,207 

Postage  on  messages 106 

Practice  kits 222 

Property,  accountability 24,166,167, 186,236 

Responsibility  and  care  for 11, 12 

Transfer  of,  not  to  be  made 15 

Public,  and  labor  not  to  be  perverted  to  private  use 15 

Condemned 199 

Expendable 182, 200, 201 

Final  returns 169 

Invoices,  but  not  received,  aetion  to  be  taken 171, 180 

Purchased  at  station 179 

Receipts 172 

Received  without  invoice 180 

Retained  returns J 170 

Returns,  when  made "- 168 

Shortage,  lost  or  unserviceable 174, 175, 196, 204, 205 

Transfers  ot 169,177 

Unexpendable 182, 188, 200 

Unserviceable 282, 183, 184, 188 

Shipment  of 178, 181, 185,187 

Quartermaster 40, 104, 121, 125, 255, 260-263 


INDEX.  157 


Paragraph. 

Rates,  tariff,  for  private  messages 96 

For  Government  messages 98 

Receipts,  for  messages  to  be  obtained 73 

For  money  paid  out 130, 131 

For  property 172,198 

Receivers,  telephone 223 

Relay,  ac^ustment  of 61 

Relayed  messages 69, 70 

Remittances  of  line  receipts 143, 144, 146 

Rented  telephones  and  transmitters 194 

Repairs,  general,  special  authority  for,  needed 26 

Ordinary,  to  be  made  as  necessary 26 

Repeated  messages 68 

Report,  annual,  by  chief  operators . 19 

Labor  and  material 26 

Repairman 25 

0.  B.  &  W.  D 103 

Statement  of  remittances  to  the  Chief  Signal  OflBcer 118 

Officer  in  charge 169, 160 

On  condition  of  line 160 

Consolidated,  officer  in  charged 161 

Personal 161, 162,168 

Quartermaster's,  for  hire  of  quarters 164 

Requisitions 14, 219 

Retained  property  returns 170 

Returns,  headings  of  form  not  to  be  changed 189 

Articles,  like  names,  different  pattern 191 

Sabbath: 

Duty  and  labor 242 

Orderly  observance 242 

Scouting  parties 4 

Signal  Bureau,  management  and  direction 267 

Signal  codes,  Army  and  Navy 270 

Signal  Corps,  enlistments  in 282 

Changes  of  stations  of  enlisted  men 246 

Eligibility  of  officers  to  command 238 

Extra-duty  details  of  enlisted  men 240 

Muster  and  pay  roll ^ 246 

Signal  Corps  officers : 

Appointments 268 

Departments 241 

Eligibility  to  command 238 

Fuel  and  stoves  for  officers 248 


158  INDEX. 

Paragraph . 
Signal  Corps  officers— Continued. 

Military  telegraph  lines 250 

Posts 243 

Promotion 239 

Senior,  with  army  in  the  field 271 

Signal  supplies 276 

Pay  as  mounted  officers 265 

Signal  Corps  sergeants : 

Accountability  for  property 245, 266 

Baggage 252 

Classification 269 

Descriptive  list 270 

Enlistments  and  muster 269,270 

Number  at  signal  station 269 

Payments 266 

Promotion  and  reduction 269 

Quarters,  fuel,  and  stoves 248, 249 

Rank  and  precedence  of  first-class 237 

Sleeping  cars 251 

Lamps  for 250 

Signal  Corps  supplies : 

Accountability 276 

Condemnation 276 

Purchase,  preservation,  and  care 276 

Transportation 247 

Signaling  instruction  : 

Army  and  Navy  Code ._ 275 

Supervision  by  Chief  Signal  Officer 267 

Signal  officer  in  charge 4 

Signals,  office 50, 52 

Private 50, 52 

Special 4,52 

Signal  parties : 

Eeports,  duties,  strength,  etc 271 

Supplies,  quartermaster  and  subsistence 277 

Signal  stations,  establishment  in  the  field 271 

Sergeants,  Signal  Corps 269 

Society  badges  worn  on  occasions  of  ceremony 278 

Staff's,  signal 199 

Statement  of  funds  by  officers  in  charge 159 

Stationery 12, 233, 234 

Station  records 206 

Stations,  discontinued,  disposition  of  property 186 


INDEX.  159 


Paragraph. 

Stolen  property__«.^» 205 

Supplies 233 

Not  to  be  purchased  by  operators 13 

Supply  table 233 

Sulphate  of  copper 23,228 

Tangents,  table  of 292 

Telegraph,  instruction,  supervision  by  the  Chief  Signal  Officer 267 

Lines,  rules  governing  use  of,  in  active  service 86 

Lines,  military,  under  whose  charge  and  control 1 

Object  of  construction  of 2,255,260 

Penalty  for  injury  to 231,232 

Testing  of,  daily 17,18 

Advantage  of  testing  by  measurement 284 

Working,  capacity  of 283 

Telegraphing,  official 5, 64, 85, 89, 101, 102, 103, 105 

Accounts 266, 266, 258, 263 

Blank  forms 261 

Code 254 

Confidential 255 

Counting  words 258 

Collect,  sent  by  private  individuals 263 

Leaves  of  absence 256 

Settlement  of  accounts 259, 260, 262 

UseoL 263 

Unimportant  words 257 

Telegraphy,  instruction,  supervision  by  the  Chief  Signal  Officer 267 

Telephones 182,192,194,223,224,264,293-8 

Telephoning  apparatus 267, 276 

Telescopes 182 

Testing : 

Battery  by  hydrometer 2;$ 

Conductivity  and  resistance 285 

Measurements,  by 284 

Of  line  daily — 17, 18 

Simple 290 

Transfer  offices,  rules  at 103, 107, 133, 134, 137, 138, 142 

Transmittal,  letters  of 218 

Transmitters 192, 194, 223 

Unexpendable  property 200 

Uniforms ._ _ —  269 

Unserviceable  property • 175 

Vises  and  straps 199 

Vouchers,  how  prepared 167, 168 


160  INDEX. 

Paragraph. 

Vouchers,  missing,  action  to  be  taken 171 

War  Department  telegrams : 

How  to  be  checked  __ 85, 101 

Monthly  statement  of  transfer 103 

Original  copies  to  be  sent  to  quartermaster 104 

How  transferred 43,107 

Wire 229 

Leading  into  office 23, 228 

Zincs,  battery 23,228 


•  1 


{3  498 


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